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MALI  BRAN 


For  Every 
Music  Lover 


A.  Series  of  Practical 
Essays     on     Music 


By 

A.TJBKRTINK  -WOOD-WARD  MOORE. 

'  Ataber  Forestier) 

Author  of  "for  My  Musical  Friend,"  etc. 


New  York 

DODGE:  PUBLISHING   COMPANY 

22O  Cast  Twenty-third  Street 


COPYRIGHT   iq02   HY    DOUGE   PUBLISHING  CO. 


Illustrations 


1.  MALIBRAN   Frontispiece 

2.  MOZART    22 

3.  BRAHMS 54 

4.  FRANZ    LISZT 86 

5.  LILLIAN   NORDICA 1 18 

6.  PAGANINI    150 

7.  JENNY  LIND 182 

8.  CORELLI    214 

9.  SAINT-SAENS    246 


2047GSO 


Contents 


Preface  PAGE 

How  we  can  approach  knowledge  of  music. 
Mistaken  isolation  of  the  art.  Those  who 
belong  to  the  privileged  class.  Music,  as 
well  as  religion,  meant  for  all.  Business  of 
its  ministers  and  teachers.  Promise  of  the 
twentieth  century.  Fruitage  of  our  own  free 
soil.  American  world-view.  Purpose  of 
volume  17 

Che  Origin  and  Function  of  Music 

Story  of  music  affording  knowledge  of  man's 
inner  life.  Mythology  and  legendary  lore. 
Emerson's  dualism.  Music  a  mirror.  Rus- 
kin  and  art.  Beethoven's  lofty  revelation. 
The  real  thing  of  Schopenhauer.  Views  of 
Carlyle,  Wagner  and  Mazzini.  Raw  ma- 
terials. Craving  for  sympathy  in  artistic 
type.  Evolution  of  tone-language.  French 
writer  of  1835.  Prince  of  Waldthurn,  in 
1690.  Spencer's  theory.  Controversy  and 
answer.  Music  of  primeval  man  and  early 
civilizations.  The  Vedas.  Hebrew  scrip- 
tures. Basis  of  scientific  laws.  Church  ritual. 
Folk-music.  Influence  of  crusades.  Modern 
music  architect  of  its  own  fortunes.  Present 


Contents 

PAGE 

musical  vocabulary  and  literature.  Counsel  of 
Pythagoras.  What  Plato  taught.  Euripides 
on  song.  Auerbach.  Martin  Luther.  Na- 
poleon Bonaparte.  Bain  and  Dr.  Marx. 
Shakespeare,  in  Merchant  of  Venice.  Wag- 
ner's unspoiled  humanity.  Tolstoi  in  art. ...  21 

Blunders  in  Music  Study 

Voice  from  the  unseen.  Perverted  soul. 
Normal  instincts.  Genius  and  talent.  ^Es- 
thetic tastes.  Musical  sound  and  rhythmic 
motion.  Average  child.  Frequent  blunders. 
Appeal  to  intellect.  Teacher  with  strong  per- 
sonality. Experimenting  with  beginners. 
Legal  protection.  Vienna  musician.  Class 
instruction.  French  solfege.  English  tonic 
sol-fa.  Mrs.  John  Spencer  Curwen.  Rev. 
John  Curwen.  Time  a  mental  science.  Mus- 
ical perception  of  the  blind.  Music  in  public 
schools.  Phillips  Brooks  on  school  song. 
Compulsory  study.  Socrates.  Mirabeau. 
Schumann  on  brilliancy.  Unrighteous  mam- 
mon of  technique.  Soul  of  music.  Neglect 
of  ensemble  work.  As  to  accompaniments. 
Underlying  principles.  Hearing  good  music. 
Going  abroad.  Wagner's  hero.  A  plumed 
knight  wanted 43 

The  Musical  Education  that  Educates 

Symmetrical  development.  Well-rounded 
musician.  Well-balanced  individual.  Profits 
proportionate  to  investment.  Living  force. 
What  Goethe  said.  Rich  harvest.  Aristotle 
on  command  over  mind.  Music  study  many- 
sided.  Madox-Brown  on  art.  Mabie  on 
beauty.  Practical  forces  in  shaping  charac- 

10 


Contents 


ter,  purifying  taste  and  elevating  standards. 
Master-works.  Human  voice  as  music 
teacher.  Scientific  methods  of  study.  Both 
art  and  science.  Mental  discipline.  Ste- 
phen A.  Emory.  Huxley  on  education 61 


How  to  Interpret  Music 

College  professors  on  criticism  and  interpre- 
tation. External  and  technical  forms.  Dis- 
trusting impressions.  Trampling  on  God- 
given  intuitions.  Throb  and  thrill  of  great 
art.  Insight  requisite  for  interpretation.  Liv- 
ing with  masterpieces.  Three  souls  of 
Browning.  Dr.  Corson.  Every  faculty  alive. 
Vital  knowledge.  Musical  imagination.  Tech- 
nical proficiency.  Head,  hand  and  physical 
forces.  In  service  of  lofty  ideal.  Musical 
art  work.  Theme.  Unfolding.  Climax.  Labor 
of  composition.  Mind  of  genius.  Elemen- 
tary laws.  Tonal  language.  Karl  Formes 
and  operatic  aspirant.  Motto  of  Leschetitzky. 
Marks  of  expression.  Adolph  Kullak.  Hans 
von  Biilow.  Pulse  of  music.  Memory.  Rus- 
kin's  fatal  faults  73 


How  to  Listen  to  Music 

Listening  an  art.  Painting  completed  whole. 
Music  passing  panorama.  Not  translatable 
into  words.  To  follow,  even  anticipate  com- 
poser. Bach's  absolute  knowledge.  Fire  of 
Prometheus.  Inner  sanctuary  of  art.  Sci- 
ence of  acoustics.  Prime  elements.  Dr. 
Marx  and  Helmholtz.  Motive.  Beethoven's 
fifth  symphony.  Phrase.  Period.  Simple 
melody.  "God  Save  the  King."  Our 

u 


Contents 

PAOB 

"America."  Masters  of  counterpoint.  Bach's 
fugues.  Monophony  and  polyphony.  Class- 
ical and  romantic.  Heretic  and  hero.  Hadow 
on  musical  laws.  Form  the  manifestation  of 
these.  Good  music  versus  rag-time.  Dr.  Cor- 
son  on  spiritual  appeal 89 


The  Piano  a.nd  Piano  Players 

Pythagoras  and  musical  intervals.  Pan  pipes. 
Portable  organs.  Monochords  with  keys. 
Guido  d'Arezzo.  Clavier  type.  Virginal  in 
Elizabethan  age.  Early  clavier  masters. 
First  woman  court  clavier  player.  Scarlatti 
and  Bach.  True  art  of  clavier-playing. 
Sonata  form.  Where  Haydn  gained  much. 
Mozart  and  dementi.  Pianoforte  and  im- 
provements. Viennese  school.  dementi 
school.  Giant  on  lofty  heights.  Oscar  Bie 
on  Beethoven.  Golden  age  of  pianoforte. 
Piano  composers  and  virtuosi,  from-  Weber  to 
the  present  time.  Teachers  and  performers 
often  corruptors  of  music 105 


The  Poetry  and  Leadership  of  Chopin 

Rubinstein  on  Polish  patriot  and  tone-poet 
who  explored  harmonic  vastncss  of  piano- 
forte. Like  exquisitely  constructed  sounding- 
board.  Enriched  and  spiritualized  the  piano- 
forte for  all  time.  Universal  rather  than  in- 
dividual experiences.  National  tonality. 
Zwyny  and  Eisner.  Intimate  acquaintance 
with  Bach.  Prince  Charminj?  of  the  piano. 
Liszt  on  Chopin.  Raphael  of  music.  Playing 
and  teaching.  Tempo  rubato.  Compositions. 
Schumann's  words.  Oscar  Bie 135 

12 


Contents 

Violins  and  Violinists— Fact  and  Fable         PAai 

Volker  the  fiddler.  Nibelungen  lay.  Videl 
of  days  of  chivalry.  Bow  fashioned  like 
sword.  Hagcn  of  Tronje.  Wilhelm  Jordan, 
in  "Sigfridsage."  Henrietta  Sontag  and  the 
coming  Paganini.  Wagner's  Volker-Wil- 
helmj  at  Bayreuth.  Magic  fiddles  and  won- 
derworking fiddlers.  Grimm's  Fairy  Tales. 
Norse  folk-lore.  English  nursery  rhymes. 
Crickets  as  fiddlers.  Progenitors  of  violin. 
The  violin  of  Queen  Elizabeth  and  her  age. 
Shakespeare  in  Twelfth  Night.  Household 
of  Charles  II.  Butler,  in  Hudibras.  Viola 
d'amore  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.  Brescian  and 
Cremonese  violin-makers.  Early  violinists. 
Value  and  history  of  some  violins.  Strings 
and  bow.  Violin  virtuosi  from  Corelli  to  our 
day.  Mad  rush  for  technique 131 

Queens  of  Song 

Florentine  lady,  Vittoria  Archilei.  Embryo 
opera  of  Cavalieri.  Peri's  "Eurydice." 
Euterpe.  Marthe  le  Rochois  and  Lully's 
operas.  Rival  queens  in  London.  Steele,  in 
"Tattler."  Second  pair  of  rivals,  Cuzzoni 
and  Faustina.  Master  Handel.  Germany's 
earliest  queen  of  song.  Frederick  the  Great 
and  German  singers.  Mrs.  Billington. 
Haydn  and  Sir  Joshua  Reynold's  St.  Cecilia. 
Mozart's  operas  introduced  into  England. 
Catalani.  Pasta.  Sontag.  Schroder-Dev- 
rient  and  Goethe's  "Erl  King."  Malibran  a 
dazzling  Meteor.  Another  daughter  of 
Manuel  del  Popolo  Garcia.  Marchesi,  Grist 
and  Mario.  Manuel  Garcia  and  the  Swedish 
Nightingale.  Other  Swedish  songstresses. 

J3 


Contents 

PAGE 

Patti.  Queens  of  song  pass  in  review.  Two 
Wagner  interpreters.  A  Valkyrie's  horse.  A 
word  for  American  girls 183 

The  Opera  a.nd  Its  Reformers 

Evolution  of  drama.  At  the  altar  of  Diony- 
sus. Greek  poetry  and  music.  Aristotle  on 
Greek  stage-plays.  yEschylus  and  Sophocles. 
Euripides.  Words,  music  and  scenic  effect. 
Lenaean  theatre  exhibitions.  More  costly 
than  Peloponnesian  war.  Roman  dominion. 
Primitive  Christian  church.  St.  Augustine. 
Mystery,  miracle,  morality  and  passion  plays. 
Strolling  histriones,  etc.  Florence  "Acad- 
emy." Vincenzo  Galilei.  Monody.  Poly- 
phonic music.  Emilio  del  Cavalieri.  Vittorio 
Archilei.  Music  of  Greeks  recovered.  Peri. 
Monteverde  and  his  work.  First  opera  house. 
Alessandro  Scarlatti.  Troubadours.  Lully, 
Rameau  and  French  opera.  Purcell,  Handel 
and  music  in  England.  Gluck,  the  regenera- 
tor. German  opera.  Mozart,  Beethoven, 
Weber  and  Wagner.  What  came  from  Bach, 
Chopin  and  Berlioz.  Rossini's  melodies. 
Wagner's  influence.  Verdi,  the  grand  old 
man  213 

Certain  Fixmovs  Oratorios 

Neri's  oratory.  Dramatized  versions  of  bi'bli- 
cal  stories.  Palestrina  and  harmonies  of  ce- 
lestial Jerusalem.  Religious  dramas  of  Ros- 
witha.  Laura  Guidiccioni's  first  oratorio 
text.  Music  by  Cavalieri.  At  Santa  Maria 
della  Vallicella.  Orchestra  behind  the  scene. 
Description.  Carissimi,  "father  of  oratorio 


Contents 

PAQK 

and  cantata."  Alessandro  Scarlatti.  An- 
other Alessandro.  Dr.  Parry's  opinion. 
"San  Giovanni  Battista"  and  famous  air. 
Tradition  about  Stradella.  What  recent 
writers  say.  Handel  and  the  "Messiah." 
Bach  and  the  "Passion  Music."  "The  Crea- 
tion" and  Haydn.  Beethoven's  "Mount  of 
Olives."  Mendelssohn,  in  "St.  Paul"  and 
"Elijah."  Oratorios  of  Liszt  and  Gounod. 
Next  step  in  the  evolution 235 

Symphony  and  Symphonic  Poem 

That  adventurous  spirit,  Monteverde.  Charm 
in  exploring  resources  of  instrumentation. 
Operatic  overture.  Forge  of  genius.  Dance 
of  obscure  origin.  Craving  for  individual  ex- 
pression. Touch  of  authority  by  Corelli. 
Cardinal  Ottoboni's  palace.  Symphony,  a 
sonata  for  orchestra.  Purcell,  Scarlatti,  Sam- 
martini  and  the  Bachs.  Monophonic  style. 
Contrasting  movements.  German  critic  on 
early  sonata.  Further  explanation.  Meaning 
of  symphony.  Haydn  with  Esterhazy  orches- 
tra. Father  of  the  symphony.  Mozart.  Bee- 
thoven. Schubert.  Schumann.  Mendels- 
sohn. Berlioz,  the  musical  heretic.  His 
"fixed  idea"  and  programme  music.  Liszt  and 
symphonic  poem.  Saint-Saens.  Tschaikow- 
sky  and  Russian  spirit.  Sinding.  Grieg. 
Gade.  Brahms  and  absolute  music 247 


15 


Preface 

WE  cannot  gain  experience  by  being  brought 
into  contact  with  the  experiences  of  others,  nor 
can  we  know  music  by  reading  about  it.  Only 
by  taking  it  into  our  hearts  and  homes,  by  ad- 
mitting it  to  our  intimate  companionship,  can 
we  approach  a  knowledge  of  the  art  that  has 
enriched  so  many  lives,  even  though  it  has 
never  yet  completely  fulfilled  its  function.  At 
the  same  time,  every  music  lover  is  helped  to 
new  ideas,  inspired  to  fresh  efforts,  by  sug- 
gestions and  statements  from  those  who  have 
themselves  had  deep  experiences  in  their  search 
for  the  inner  sanctuary  of  the  Temple  of  Art. 

Musicians  have  been  too  much  inclined  to 
treat  their  art  as  something  to  be  exclusively 
appropriated  by  a  favored  class  of  men  and 
women,  and  are  themselves  greatly  to  blame 
for  its  mistaken  isolation.  True,  music  has  its 

J7 


»    Prefa.ce 

privileged  class.  To  this  belongs  the  mind  of 
creative  genius  that  can  formulate  in  tones  the 
universal  passions,  the  eternal  verities  of  the 
soul.  In  it  may  also  be  numbered  those  gifted 
beings  whose  interpretative  powers  peculiarly 
adapt  them  to  spread  abroad  the  utterances  of 
genius.  Precisely  in  the  same  way  religion  has 
its  prophets  and  its  ministers.  Music,  as  well 
as  religion,  is  meant  for  everyone,  and  the  busi- 
ness of  its  ministers  and  teachers  is  to  convey 
to  all  the  message  of  its  prophets. 

The  nineteenth  century  was  the  period  of 
achievement.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  twentieth  century  will  be  the  period 
of  still  nobler  achievement,  beyond  all  in  the 
realm  of  the  spirit.  Then  will  music  find  its 
most  splendid  opportunity,  and  in  our  own  free 
soil  it  will  yield  its  richest  fruitage.  Amid  the 
favorable  conditions  of  liberty  it  will  flourish  to 
the  utmost,  and  will  come  to  afford  blessed 
relief  from  the  pressure  of  materialism.  Dur- 
ing the  era  we  are  entering  no  unworthy  teacher 
will  be  permitted  to  trifle  with  the  unfolding 
musical  instincts  of  childhood.  The  study  of 

J8 


Prefa.ce 

music  will  take  an  honored  place  in  the  curricu- 
lum of  every  school,  academy,  college  and  uni- 
versity, as  an  essential  factor  in  culture.  Then 
music  among  us  will  come  to  reflect  our  deepest,, 
truest  consciousness,  the  American  world-view. 

It  is  with  a  desire  to  stimulate  thought  and 
incite  to  action  that  the  present  volume  has 
been  prepared  for  every  music  lover.  The 
essays  contained  in  it  have  not  previously  ap- 
peared in  print.  They  are  composed  to  a  large 
extent  of  materials  used  by  the  author  in  her 
lectures  and  informal  talks  on  music  and  its 
history.  That  her  readers  may  be  led  to  seek 
further  acquaintance  with  the  divine  art  is  her 
earnest  wish. 

Many  thanks  are  due  L.  C.  Page  &  Com- 
pany, of  Boston,  for  kind  permission  to  use 
the  portrait  of  Corelli,  from  their  "Famous 
Violinists,"  by  Henry  C.  Lahee. 

AUBERTINE  WOODWARD  MOORE. 

MADISON,  Wis. 


FOR  EVERY  MUSIC  LOVER 


The    Origin    and    Function    of 
Music 

ONE  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  many 
interesting  stories  of  our  civilization  is  the 
story  of  Music.  It  affords  an  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  the  inner  life  of  man  as  manifested  in 
different  epochs  of  the  world's  history.  He 
who  has  failed  to  follow  it  has  failed  to  com- 
prehend the  noblest  phenomena  of  human 
progress. 

Mythology  and  legendary  lore  abound  in 
delightful  traditions  in  regard  to  the  birth  of 

21 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

music.  The  untutored  philosophers  of  prim- 
itive humanity  and  the  learned  philosophers 
of  ancient  civilizations  alike  strove  to  solve  the 
sweet,  elusive  mystery  surrounding  the  art. 
Through  the  myths  and  legends  based  on  their 
speculations  runs  a  suggestion  of  divine 
origin. 

The  Egyptians  of  old  saw  in  their  sublime 
god,  Osiris,  and  his  ideal  spouse,  Isis,  the 
authors  of  music.  Among  the  Hindus  it  was 
regarded  as  a  priceless  gift  from  the  great  god 
Brahma,  who  was  its  creator  and  whose  peer- 
less consort,  Sarasvati,  was  its  guardian. 
Poetic  fancies  in  these  lines  permeate  the  early 
literature  of  diverse  peoples. 

This  is  not  surprising.  Abundant  testi- 
mony proves  that  the  existence  of  music  is  co- 
eval with  that  of  mankind ;  that  it  is  based  on 
the  modulations  of  the  human  voice  and  the 
agitations  of  the  human  muscles  and  nerves 
caused  by  the  infinite  variations  of  the  spirit- 
ual and  emotional  sensations,  needs  and  aspi- 
rations of  humanity;  that  it  has  grown  with 
man's  growth,  developed  with  man's  develop- 

22 


MO/ART 


22 


The  Origin  and  Function  of  Music 

ment,  and  that  its  origin  is  as  divine  as  that  of 
man. 

The  inevitable  dualism  which  Emerson 
found  bisecting  all  nature  appears  also  in  music, 
which  is  both  spiritual  and  material.  The 
spiritual  part  of  music  appeals  to  the  spiritual 
part  of  man,  addressing  each  heart  according 
to  the  cravings  and  capacities  of  each.  The 
material  part  of  music  may  be  compared  to  the 
body  in  which  man's  spirit  is  housed.  It  is 
the  vehicle  which  conveys  the  message  of  music 
from  soul  to  soul  through  the  medium  of  the 
human  ear  with  its  matchless  harp  of  nerve- 
fibres  and  its  splendid  sounding-board,  the  ear- 
drum. 

Music  is  the  mirror  which  most  perfectly 
reflects  man's  inner  being  and  the  essence  of 
all  things.  Ruskin  saw  clearly  that  he  alone 
can  love  art  well  who  loves  better  what  art 
mirrors.  This  may  especially  be  applied  to 
music,  which  offers,  as  a  Beethoven  has  said, 
a  more  lofty  revelation  than  all  wisdom  and 
philosophy. 

Having  no  model  in  nature,  being  neither 

23 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

an  imitation  of  any  actual  object,  nor  a  repeti- 
tion of  anything  experienced,  music  stands 
alone  among  the  arts.  It  represents  the  real 
thing,  as  Schopenhauer  has  it,  the  thing  itself, 
not  the  mere  semblance.  Were  we  able  to 
give  a  thoroughly  satisfactory  explanation  of 
music,  he  declares,  we  should  have  the  true 
philosophy  of  the  universe. 

"Music  is  a  kind  of  inarticulate,  unfath- 
omable speech,  which  leads  us  to  the  edge  of 
the  Infinite,  and  impels  us  for  a  moment  to 
gaze  into  it,"  exclaimed  Carlyle.  Wagner 
found  in  music  the  conscious  language  of  feel- 
ing, that  which  ennobles  the  sensual  and  real- 
izes the  spiritual.  "Music  is  the  harmonious 
voice  of  creation,  an  echo  of  the  invisible 
world,  one  note  of  the  divine  concord  which 
the  entire  universe  is  destined  one  day  to 
sound,"  wrote  Mazzini.  Literature  is  rich  in 
noble  definitions  of  the  divine  art. 

From  a  matter  of  fact  standpoint  music  con- 
sists of  a  vast  concourse  of  tones  which  are  its 
raw  materials  and  bear  within  themselves  the 
possibility  of  being  moulded  into  form.  Ut- 

24 


The  Origin  and  Function  of  Music 

terances  and  actions  illustrating  these  raw  ma- 
terials are  common  to  all  living  creatures.  A 
dog,  reiterating  short  barks  of  joy,  or  giving 
vent  to  prolonged  howls  of  distress,  is  actuated 
by  an  impulse  similar  to  that  of  the  human  in- 
fant as  it  uplifts  its  voice  to  express  its  small 
emotions.  The  sounds  uttered  by  primeval 
man  as  the  direct  expression  of  his  emotions 
were  unquestionably  of  a  like  nature. 

The  tendency  to  manifest  feeling  by  means 
of  sound  is  universally  admitted,  and  sound, 
freighted  with  feeling,  is  peculiarly  exciting  to 
human  beings.  The  agitations  of  a  mob  may 
be  increased  by  the  emotional  tones  of  its  prime 
movers,  and  we  all  know  that  the  power  of  an 
orator  depends  more  on  his  skill  in  handling 
his  voice  than  on  what  he  says. 

A  craving  for  sympathy  exists  in  all  animate 
beings.  It  is  strong  in  mankind  and  becomes 
peculiarly  intense  in  the  type  known  as  artistic. 
The  fulness  of  his  own  emotions  compels  the 
musician  to  utterance.  To  strike  a  sympa- 
thetic chord  in  other  sensitive  breasts  it  be- 


25 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

comes  necessary  to  devise  forms  of  expression 
that  may  be  unmistakably  intelligible. 

Out  of  such  elements  the  tone-language  has 
grown,  precisely  as  the  word-language  grew 
out  of  men's  early  attempts  to  communicate 
facts  to  one  another.  Its  story  records  a  slow, 
painstaking  building  up  of  principles  to  control 
its  raw  materials ;  for  music,  as  we  understand 
it,  cannot  exist  without  some  kind  of  design. 
Vague  sounds  produce  vague,  fleeting  impres- 
sions. Definiteness  in  tonal  relations  and 
rhythmic  plan  is  requisite  to  produce  a  defined, 
enduring  impression.  In  primitive  states  of 
music  rhythmic  sounds  were  heard,  defined  by 
the  pulses  but  with  little  or  no  change  of  pitch, 
and  sounds  varying  in  pitch  without  regularity 
of  impulse.  A  high  degree  of  intellectuality 
was  reached  before  our  modern  scales  were 
evolved  from  long-continued  attempts  at 
making  well-balanced  successions  of  sounds. 
As  musical  art  advanced  rhythm  and  melodic 
expression  became  united. 

The  study  of  the  origin,  function  and  evolu- 
tion of  music,  according  to  modern  scientific 

26 


The  Origin  and  Function  of  Music 

methods,  is  a  matter  of  comparatively  recent 
date.  As  late  as  1835  a  French  writer  of  the 
history  of  music  expressed  profound  regret 
that  he  had  been  unable  to  determine  when 
music  was  invented,  or  to  discover  the  in- 
ventor's name.  It  was  his  opinion  that  musical 
man  had  profited  largely  from  the  voices 
of  the  feathered  tribes.  He  seriously  as- 
serted that  the  duck  had  evidently  fur- 
nished a  model  for  the  clarionet  and  oboe, 
and  Sir  Chanticleer  for  the  trumpet.  An 
entire  chapter  of  his  book  he  devoted  to 
surmises  concerning  the  "Music  before  the 
Flood."  The  poor  man  felt  himself  superior 
to  the  poetic  fancies  of  the  ancients,  which  at 
least  foreshadowed  the  Truth,  but  had  found 
no  firm  ground  on  which  to  stand. 

Much  finer  were  the  instincts  of  Capellmeis- 
ter  Wolfgang  Kasper,  Prince  of  Waldthurn, 
whose  historical  treatise  on  Music  appeared  in 
Dresden  in  1690.  He  boldly  declared  the 
author  of  music  to  be  the  good  God  himself, 
who  fashioned  the  air  to  transmit  musical 
sounds,  the  ear  to  receive  them,  the  soul  of  man 

27 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

to  throb  with  emotions  demanding  utterance, 
and  all  nature  to  be  filled  with  sources  of  in- 
spiration. The  good  Capellmeister  was  in 
close  touch  with  the  Truth. 

It  was  in  1835,  the  same  year  that  the 
French  writer  mentioned  offered  his  wild 
speculations,  that  Herbert  Spencer,  frcm  the 
standpoint  of  a  scientist,  produced  his  essay 
on  the  "Origin  and  Function  of  Music,"  which 
has  proved  invaluable  in  arousing  discriminat- 
ing thought  in  these  lines.  Many  years  elapsed 
before  its  worth  to  musicians  was  realized. 
To-day  it  is  widely  known  and  far-reaching  in 
its  influence. 

In  those  inner  agitations  which  cause  mus- 
cular expansion  and  contraction,  and  find  ex- 
pression in  the  inflections  and  cadences  of  the 
voice,  Herbert  Spencer  saw  the  foundations  of 
music.  He  unhesitatingly  defined  it  as  emo- 
tional speech,  the  language  of  the  feelings, 
whose  function  was  to  increase  the  sympa- 
thies and  broaden  the  horizon  of  mankind. 
Besides  frankly  placing  music  at  the  head  of 
the  fine  arts,  he  declared  that  those  sensations 

28 


The  Origin  and  Function  of  Music 

of  unexperienced  felicity  it  arouses,  those  im- 
pressions of  an  unknown,  ideal  existence  it 
calls  forth,  may  be  regarded  as  a  prophecy  to 
the  fulfilment  of  which  music  is  itself  partly 
instrumental.  Our  strange  capacity  for  being 
affected  by  melody  and  harmony  cannot  but 
imply  that  it  is  possible  to  realize  the  delights 
they  suggest.  On  these  suppositions  might  be 
comprehended  the  power  and  significance  of 
music  which  must  otherwise  remain  a  mystery. 
The  progress  of  musical  culture,  he  thought, 
could  not  be  too  much  applauded  as  a  noble 
means  of  ministering  to  human  welfare.  Mr. 
Spencer's  theory  has  of  late  led  to  much  con- 
troversy. Its  author  has  been  censured  for 
setting  forth  no  explanation  of  the  place  of 
harmony  in  modern  music,  and  for  not  realiz- 
ing what  a  musical  composition  is.  In  his 
last  volume,  "Facts  and  Comments,"  which 
contains  many  valuable  thoughts  not  previously 
published,  he  declares  that  his  critics  have 
obviously  confounded  the  origin  of  a  thing 
and  that  which  originates  from  it.  "Here  we 
have  a  striking  example  of  the  way  in  which  an 

29 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

hypothesis  is  made  to  appear  untenable  by  rep- 
resenting it  as  being  something  which  it  does 
not  profess  to  be,"  he  says.  "I  gave  an  ac- 
count of  the  origin  of  music,  and  now  I  am 
blamed  because  my  conception  of  the  origin  of 
music  does  not  include  a  conception  of  music 
as  fully  developed.  If  to  some  one  who  said 
that  an  oak  comes  from  an  acorn  it  were  replied 
that  he  had  manifestly  never  seen  an  oak,  since 
an  acorn  contains  no  trace  of  all  its  complexi- 
ties of  form  and  structure,  the  reply  would  not 
be  thought  a  rational  one;"  but  he  believes  it 
would  be  quite  as  rational  as  to  suppose  he  had 
not  realized  what  a  musical  composition  is  be- 
cause his  theory  of  the  origin  of  music  says 
nothing  about  the  characteristics  of  an  over- 
ture or  a  quartet. 

Of  the  music  of  primeval  man  we  can  form 
an  estimate  from  the  music  of  still  existing 
uncivilized  races.  As  the  vocabulary  of  their 
speech  is  limited,  so  the  notes  of  their  music 
are  few,  but  expressive  gestures  and  modula- 
tions of  the  voice  supplement  both.  With  ad- 
vancing civilization  the  emotions  of  which  the 

30 


The  Origin  and  Function  of  Music 

human  heart  are  capable  become  more  complex 
and  demand  larger  means  of  expression. 
Some  belief  in  the  healing,  helpful,  uplifting 
power  of  music  has  always  prevailed.  It  re- 
mains for  independent,  practical,  modern  man 
to  present  the  art  to  the  world  as  a  thing  of 
law  and  order,  whose  ineffable  beauty  and 
beneficence  may  reach  the  lives  of  the  average 
man  and  woman. 

Without  the  growth  of  the  individual,  music 
cannot  grow;  without  freedom  of  thought, 
neither  the  language  of  tones  nor  that  of  words 
can  gain  full,  free  utterance.  Freedom  is  es- 
sential to  the  life  of  the  indwelling  spirit. 
Wherever  the  flow  of  thought  and  fancy  is  im- 
peded, or  the  energies  of  the  individual  held 
in  check,  there  music  is  cramped.  In  China, 
where  conditions  have  crushed  spiritual  and 
intellectual  liberty,  the  art  remains  to  this  day 
in  a  crude  rhythmical  or  percussion  state,  al- 
though it  was  early  honored  as  the  gift  of 
superior  beings.  The  Chinese  philosopher  de- 
tected a  grand  world  music  in  the  harmonious 
order  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  wrote 

31 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

voluminous  works  on  musical  theory.  When 
it  came  to  putting  this  into  practice  tones  were 
combined  in  a  pedantic  fashion. 

In  all  ages  and  climes  music  has  ministered 
to  religion  and  education.  The  sacred  Vedas 
bear  testimony  to  the  high  place  it  held  in 
Hindu  worship  and  life.  Proud  records  of 
stone  reveal  its  dignified  role  in  the  civilization 
of  Egypt,  where  Plato  stated  there  had  ex- 
isted ten  thousand  years  before  his  day  music 
that  could  only  have  emanated  from  gods  or 
godlike  men.  The  art  was  taught  by  the  tem- 
ple priests,  and  the  education  of  no  young  per- 
son was  complete  without  a  knowledge  of  it. 

Egyptian  musical  culture  impressed  itselt 
on  the  Greeks,  and  also  on  the  Israelites,  whose 
tone-language  gained  warmth  and  coloring 
from  various  Oriental  sources.  Hebrew  scrip- 
tures abound  in  tributes  to  the  worth  of  music 
which  was  intimately  related  to  the  political 
life,  mental  consciousness  and  national  senti- 
ment of  the  Children  of  Israel.  Through 
music  they  approached  the  unseen  King  of 
kings  with  the  plaintive  outpourings  of  their 

32 


The  Origin  and  Function  of  Music 

grief-laden  hearts  and  with  their  joyful  hymns 
of  praise  and  thanksgiving. 

From  the  polished  Greeks  we  gained  a  basis 
for  the  scientific  laws  governing  our  musical 
art.  The  splendid  music  of  which  we  read  in 
ancient  writings  has  for  the  most  part  vanished 
with  the  lives  it  enriched.  Relegated  to  the 
guardianship  of  exclusive  classes  its  most 
sacred  secrets  were  kept  from  the  people,  and 
it  could  not  possibly  have  attained  the  expan- 
sion we  know. 

Music  has  been  called  the  handmaiden  of 
Christianity,  but  may  more  appropriately  be 
designated  its  loyal  helpmeet.  Whatever  syn- 
agogue or  other  melodies  may  have  first  served 
to  voice  the  sentiments  kindled  by  the  Gospel 
of  Glad  Tidings  it  was  inevitable  that  the  new 
religious  thought  should  seek  and  find  new 
musical  expression. 

In  shaping  a  ritual  for  general  use,  an  ac- 
companiment of  suitable  music  had  to  be  con- 
sidered. The  fathers  of  the  church  consti- 
tuted themselves  also  the  guides  of  music. 
Those  forms  which  give  symmetry  and  proper- 

33 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

t:on  to  the  outward  structure  of  the  tonal  art 
were  pruned  and  polished  under  ecclesiastical 
surveillance  until  spontaneity  was  endangered. 
Happily  in  the  spirit  of  Christianity  is  that 
which  ever  proves  a  remedy  for  the  mistakes 
of  law-givers.  The  religion  that  inculcates 
respect  for  the  individual  has  furthered  the  ad- 
vance of  music  and  of  spirituality. 

Beyond  the  confines  of  the  church  was  an- 
other musical  growth,  springing  up  by  the  way- 
side and  in  remote  places.  Folk-music  it  is 
called,  and  it  gives  untrammeled  utterance  to 
human  longings,  human  grief  and  despair,  and 
human  wondering  over  the  mysteries  of  life, 
death  and  the  great  Beyond.  Untutored  peo- 
ple had  always  found  vent  in  this  kind  of  music 
for  pent-up  feelings,  and  the  folk-music  of  the 
Christian  world,  during  the  Crusades,  gained  a 
new  element  in  the  fragments  of  Oriental  mel- 
ody transplanted  into  its  midst.  In  time, 
through  the  combined  wisdom  of  gifted  com- 
posers and  large-minded  ecclesiastical  rulers, 
the  music  of  the  church  and  the  music  of  the 


34 


The  Origin  and  Function  of  Music 

people  became  united,  and  modern  music  was 
born. 

Architecture,  painting,  sculpture  and  poetry 
possess  practical  proofs  of  their  past  achieve- 
ments and  on  these  their  present  endeavors  are 
builded.  Modern  music  has  been  compelled  to 
be  the  architect  of  its  own  fortunes.  It  is  the 
one  new  art  of  our  era,  and,  as  the  youngest  in 
the  family  of  arts,  it  has  but  recently  reached  a 
high  state  of  development. 

During  those  eleven  Christian  centuries, 
from  the  latter  part  of  the  fourth  century, 
when  the  corner-stone  for  our  musical  system 
was  laid,  until  the  wonderful  exploration  pe- 
riod of  the  fifteenth  was  well  advanced,  the 
masters  of  music  were  absorbed  in  controlling 
the  elements  of  their  art.  Since  then  event  has 
crowded  upon  event  with  rapidly  increasing 
ratio.  During  the  past  two  centuries  the  prog- 
ress of  the  art  has  been  like  a  tale  in  fairy- 
land. We  now  possess  a  magnificent  musical 
vocabulary,  a  splendid  muskal  literature,  yet 
so  accustomed  are  we  to  grand  treasure-troves 


35 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

we  perhaps  prize  them  no  more  than  the 
meagre  stores  of  the  past  were  prized. 

Music  is  often  mentioned  in  literature  as  a 
means  of  discipline,  inspiration  and  refresh- 
ment. We  read  in  Homer  that  Achilles  was 
instructed  in  the  art  that  he  might  learn  to 
moderate  his  passions;  Pythagoras,  father  of 
Musical  Science,  counseled  his  disciples  to  re- 
fresh themselves  at  the  fount  of  music  before 
retiring  to  their  couches  at  night  in  order  to 
restore  the  inner  harmony  of  their  souls,  and 
to  seek  strength  in  the  morning  from  the  same 
source.  Plato  taught  that  music  is  as  essen- 
tial to  the  mind  as  air  is  to  the  body,  and  that 
children  should  be  familiarized  with  harmonies 
and  rhythms  that  they  might  be  more  gentle, 
harmonious  and  rhythmical,  consequently  bet- 
ter fitted  for  speech  and  action. 

"Song  brings  of  itself  a  cheerfulness  that 
wakes  the  heart  to  joy,"  exclaimed  Euripides, 
and  certain  it  is  a  large  measure  of  joy  sur- 
rounds those  who  live  in  an  atmosphere  of 
music.  It  has  a  magic  wand  that  lifts  man  be- 
yond the  petty  worries  of  his  existence. 

36 


The  Origin  and  Function  of  Music 

"Music  is  a  shower-bath  of  the  soul,"  said 
Schopenhauer,  "washing  away  all  that  is  im- 
pure." Or  as  Auerbach  put  it :  "Music  washes 
from  the  soul  the  dust  of  everyday  life." 

Realizing  the  influence  of  music,  Martin 
Luther  sang  the  Reformation  into  the  hearts  of 
the  people  with  his  noble  chorals  in  which 
every  one  might  join.  He  called  music  a  mis- 
tress of  order  and  good  manners,  and  intro- 
duced it  into  the  schools  as  a  means  of  refine- 
ment and  discipline,  in  whose  presence  anger 
and  all  evil  would  depart.  "A  schoolmaster," 
said  he,  "ought  to  have  skill  in  music,  other- 
wise I  would  not  regard  him;  neither  should 
we  ordain  young  men  to  the  office  of  preaching 
unless  they  have  been  well  exercised  in  the  art, 
for  it  maketh  a  fine  people."  It  were  well  if 
teachers  and  ministers  to-day  more  generally 
appreciated  the  value  of  music  to  them  and 
their  work. 

Music  is  an  essential  factor  in  great  national 
movements.  Every  commander  knows  how 
inspiring  and  comforting  it  is  to  his  men. 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  who  was  not  readily  lifted 

37 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

out  of  himself  and  who  complained  that  music 
jarred  his  nerves,  was  shrewd  enough  to  ob- 
serve its  effect  on  marching  troops,  and  to 
order  the  bands  of  different  regiments  to  play 
daily  in  front  of  hospitals  to  soothe  and  cheer 
the  wounded.  The  one  tune  he  prized,  Mai- 
brook,  he  hummed  as  he  started  for  his  last 
campaign.  In  the  solitude  of  St.  Helena  he 
said :  "Of  all  liberal  arts  music  has  the  great- 
est influence  over  the  passions,  and  it  is  that  to 
which  the  legislator  ought  to  give  the  most  en- 
couragement." 

An  art  that  in  some  form  is  found  in  the  va- 
ried activities  of  all  people,  at  all  times,  must 
be  the  common  heritage  of  humanity.  "It  does 
not  speak  to  one  class  but  to  mankind,"  said 
Robert  Franz,  the  German  song  writer. 
Alexander  Bain  called  it  the  most  available, 
universal  and  influential  of  the  fine  arts,  and 
Dr.  Marx,  the  musical  theorist,  thought  music 
beneficial  to  the  moral  and  spiritual  estate  of 
the  masses. 

Truly  indeed  has  it  been  said  that  its  univer- 
sality gives  music  its  high  worth.  Mirroring 

38 


The  Origin  and  Function  of  Mxisic 

neither  your  inner  life  alone  nor  mine,  but  the 
world's  essence,  the  transfiguration  of  what 
seems  real,  the  divine  Ideal,  some  spark  of 
which  glows  in  every  bosom,  each  individual 
may  feel  in  it  whatever  he  is  capable  of  feeling. 
The  soul's  language,  it  takes  up  the  thread 
dropped  by  words  and  gives  utterance  to  those 
refined  sentiments  and  holy  aspirations  words 
are  inadequate  to  awaken  or  express.  Its 
message  is  borne  from  heart  to  heart,  revealing 
to  each  things  unseen,  according  as  it  is  pre- 
pared to  receive  them. 

In  the  Merchant  of  Venice,  Shakespeare 
made  Lorenzo  speak  to  Jessica  of  the  harmony 
that  is  in  immortal  souls  and  say  that  "whilst 
this  muddy  vesture  of  decay  doth  grossly  close 
it  in  we  cannot  hear  it."  To  refine  this  muddy 
vesture,  to  render  the  spirit  attentive,  to  bring 
light,  sweetness,  strength,  harmony  and  beauty 
into  daily  life  is  the  central  function  of  music 
which,  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  is  man's 
most  intimate  companion. 

Richard  Wagner  devoutly  believed  it  would 
prepare  the  way  for  an  unspoiled,  unfettered 

39 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

humanity,  illumined  by  a  perception  of  Truth 
and  Beauty  and  united  by  a  bond  of  sympathy 
and  love.  This  ideal  union  is  the  goal  at 
which  Tolstoi  aims  in  his  "What  is  Art?"  He 
defines  art  as  a  human  activity  to  be  enjoyed 
by  all,  whose  purpose  is  the  transmission  of  the 
most  exalted  feelings  to  which  men  have  arisen; 
but  the  union  he  proposes  would  have  to  be 
consummated  by  a  leveling  process.  All  art 
that  cannot  without  preparation  reach  the  un- 
cultured classes  is  denounced  by  him.  He  is 
most  bitter  in  his  denunciation  of  Wagner,  who 
fought  for  a  democratic  art,  but  who  wished  to 
attain  it  by  raising  the  lowliest  of  his  fellow- 
creatures  to  an  ever  loftier  plane  of  high  think- 
ing and  feeling. 

According  to  Tolstoi,  art  began  to  degen- 
erate when  it  separated  itself  from  religion. 
There  must  have  been  dense  mist  before  the 
Russian  sage's  mental  vision  when  he  fancied 
this  separation  possible.  Art,  especially  musi- 
cal art,  is  a  vital  part  of  religion,  and  cannot 
be  put  asunder  from  it.  Like  thought,  music, 
since  the  bonds  of  church  and  state  have  been 

40 


The  Origin  and  Function  of  Music 

broken,  has  spread  wide  its  pinions  and  soared 
to  hitherto  unsuspected  heights.  All  noble 
music  is  sacred. 

Amid  the  marvelous  material  progress  of  to- 
day music  is  more  needed  than  ever.  Unbur- 
dened by  the  responsibility  of  fact,  it  brings 
relief  to  the  soul  from  the  grinding  pressure  of 
constant  grappling  with  knowledge.  The  ben- 
efits of  knowledge  are  great,  but  it  is  also  bene- 
ficial to  be  uplifted,  as  we  may  be  by  music, 
from  out  the  perplexing  labyrinth  of  the  work- 
a-day  world  toward  the  realm  of  the  Divine 
Ideal. 

As  a  means  of  culture  music  is  a  potent  fac- 
tor in  human  civilization.  It  is  destined  to 
wield  even  greater  influence  than  has  yet  been 
known.  It  has  become  the  household  art  of 
to-day.  As  it  enters  more  and  more  fully  into 
the  heart  of  the  home  and  social  life  it  will  more 
and  more  enrich  human  existence  and  aid  in 
ushering  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  on  Earth. 

If  music  can  do  so  much  for  mankind,  why 
are  not  all  musicians  great  and  good?  Ah, 
my  friend,  that  is  a  hard  question  to  answer. 

41 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

and  can  only  be  fairly  treated  by  asking  another 
equally  difficult  question:  Why  are  not  all 
people  who  have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of 
religion  wise  and  noble?  Consider  the  gi- 
gantic machinery  that  has  been  put  in  motion 
to  promulgate  Christianity,  and  note  how  slow 
men  have  been  to  appropriate  the  teachings  of 
its  founder.  Slow  progress  furnishes  no  argu- 
ment against  the  mission  either  of  religion  or 
its  comrade  music. 

In  common  with  religion  music  kindles  our 
finer  sensibilities  and  brings  us  into  an  atmos- 
phere superior  to  that  which  ordinarily  sur- 
rounds us.  It  requires  wisdom  to  beautify 
commonplace  conditions  with  what  has  been 
enjoyed  in  aerial  regions.  Rightly  applied, 
music  can  lend  itself  to  this  illumination.  As 
it  is  better  known,  its  advantages  will  be  more 
completely  realized. 


42 


II 

Blunders  in  Mvisic  Study 

LIKE  a  voice  from  the  Unseen,  the  Eternal, 
music  speaks  to  the  soul  of  man.  Its  inform- 
ing word  being  delivered  in  the  language  of 
the  emotional  nature  finds  some  response  to  its 
appeal  in  every  normal  human  breast.  Shake- 
speare indicated  this  truth  when  he  had  his 
Lorenzo,  in  the  Merchant  of  Venice,  say : 

"The  man  that  hath  no  music  in  himself, 
Nor   is   not   moved   with   concord    of   sweet 

sounds, 

Is  fit  for  treasons,  stratagems  and  spoils; 
The  motions  of  his  spirit  are  dull  as  night, 
And  his  affections  dark  as  Erebus; 
Let  no  such  man  be  trusted." 

43 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

It  is  not  the  normal  soul,  fresh  from  its  Cre- 
ator's hands,  that  is  fit  for  such  dire  evils,  but 
the  soul  perverted  by  false  conditions  and  sur- 
roundings. Where  vice  has  become  congenial 
and  the  impure  reigns  supreme,  that  which 
rouses  and  expresses  noble  aspirations  and  pure 
emotions  can  find  no  room.  Normal  instincts 
may  also  be  dulled,  the  inner  being  made,  as  it 
were,  musically  deaf  and  dumb,  by  a  false 
education  which  stifles  and  dwarfs  the  finer 
feelings,  or  by  circumstances  which  permit 
these  to  remain  dormant. 

The  emotional  natures  of  human  beings 
differ  as  widely  in  kind  and  degree  as  the  in- 
tellectual and  physical  natures.  In  some  peo- 
ple sensibility  predominates,  and  the  irresist- 
ible activity  of  fancy  and  feeling  compels  the 
expression  in  rhythmic  tone  combinations  of 
ideals  grasped  intuitively.  Thus  musical 
genius  manifests  itself.  No  amount  of  educa- 
tion can  bring  it  into  being,  but  true  culture 
and  wise  guidance  are  needed  to  equip  it  for  its 
bold  flight.  "Neither  diligence  without 
genius,  nor  genius  without  education  will  pro- 

44 


Blunders  in  Music  Study 

duce  anything  thorough,"  as  we  read  in 
Horace.  Other  people  with  marked  aptitude 
for  musical  expression  have  reproductive 
rather  than  creative  endowments.  To  them 
belongs  talent  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  and 
they  are  adapted  to  promulgate  the  message 
which  genius  formulated  for  mankind.  Talent 
may  be  ripened  and  brightened  by  suitable 
environments  and  fostering  care. 

There  are  besides  persons  led  by  genius  or 
talent  into  other  avenues  than  those  of  the 
tone-world,  and  the  great  public  with  its  di- 
verse grades  of  emotional  and  intellectual 
gifts.  The  cultivation  of  the  aesthetic  tastes 
is  profitable  to  all,  and  no  agency  contributes 
so  freely  to  it  as  music.  Too  many  people  en- 
gaged in  purely  scientific  or  practical  pursuits 
have  failed  to  realize  this.  In  those  nations 
known  as  musical,  and  that  have  become  so 
through  generations  occupied  with  the  art, 
music  study  is  placed  on  an  equal  footing  with 
any  other  worthy  pursuit  and  no  life  interest  is 
permitted  to  exclude  musical  enthusiasm. 

Unless  disabled  by  physical  defects,  every 

45 


For  Every  M\isic  Lover 

one  displays  some  sense  of  musical  sound  and 
rhythmic  motion.  It  is  a  constant  occurrence 
for  children,  without  a  word  of  direction,  to 
mark  the  time  of  a  stirring  tune  with  hands, 
feet  and  swaying  motions  of  the  body.  A 
lullaby  will  almost  invariably  soothe  a  restless 
infant,  and  most  children  old  enough  to  distin- 
guish and  articulate  groups  of  tones  will  make 
some  attempt  at  singing  the  melodies  they  have 
often  heard.  The  average  child  begins  music 
lessons  with  evident  pleasure. 

It  should  be  no  more  difficult  to  strengthen 
the  musical  instincts  than  any  other  faculties. 
On  the  contrary,  it  too  often  chances  that  a 
child  whose  early  song  efforts  have  been  in  ex- 
cellent time  and  tune,  and  not  without  expres- 
sion, who  has  marched  in  time  and  beat  time 
accurately,  will,  after  a  period  of  instruction, 
utterly  disregard  sense  of  rhythm,  sing  out  of 
tune,  play  wrong  notes,  or  fail  to  notice  when 
the  musical  instrument  used  is  ever  so  cruelly 
out  of  tune.  Uneducated  people,  trusting  to 
intuitive  perceptions,  promptly  decide  that  such 
or  such  a  child,  or  person,  has  been  spoiled  by 

46 


Blunders  in  Mvisic  Study 

cultivation.  This  is  merely  a  failure  to  trace  a 
result  to  its  rightful  cause,  which  lies  not  in  cul- 
tivation, but  in  certain  blunders  in  music  study. 
These  blunders  begin  with  the  preliminary 
course  on  the  piano  or  violin,  for  instance, 
when  a  child,  having  no  previous  training  in 
the  rudiments  of  music,  starts  with  one  weekly 
lesson,  and  is  required  to  practice  a  prescribed 
period  daily  without  supervision.  To  the  diffi- 
culties of  an  introduction  to  a  musical  instru- 
ment are  added  those  of  learning  to  read  notes, 
to  locate  them,  to  appreciate  time  values  and 
much  else.  The  teacher,  it  may  be,  knows  lit- 
tle of  the  inner  life  of  music,  still  less  of  child 
nature.  Manifold  perplexities  arise,  and  fal- 
tering through  these  the  pupil  acquires  a  halt- 
ing use  of  the  musical  vocabulary,  with  other 
bad  habits  equally  hard  to  correct.  A  con- 
stant repetition  of  false  notes,  wrong  phrasing, 
irregular  accents,  faulty  rhythms  and  a  mean- 
ingless jumble  of  notes  dulls  the  outer  ear  and 
deadens  the  inner  tone-sense.  Where  there  is 
genius,  or  decided  talent,  no  obstacle  can  wholly 


47 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

bar  the  way  to  music.  Otherwise,  it  retreats 
before  the  blundering  approach. 

Many  a  mother  when  advised  to  direct  her 
child's  practicing,  or  at  least  to  encourage  it  by 
her  presence,  has  excused  herself  on  the  plea 
that  it  would  bore  her  to  listen.  If  the  work 
bores  the  mother  it  is  not  surprising  that  the 
child  attacks  it  with  mind  fixed  on  metal  more 
attractive  and  eyes  seeking  the  clock.  Occupa- 
tions which  are  repellent  in  early  life  leave  be- 
hind them  a  memory  calculated  to  render  them 
forever  distasteful.  It  is  therefore  a  grave 
mistake  not  to  make  music  study  from  the  out- 
set throb  with  vital  interest.  An  appeal  to  the 
intellect  will  quicken  the  aesthetic  instincts,  be 
they  never  so  slender,  and  almost  any  one  will 
love  work  that  engages  all  the  faculties. 

Those  pupils  are  fortunate  who  come  under 
the  influence  of  a  teacher  with  strong,  well- 
balanced  personality  and  ripe  knowledge,  and 
are  treated  as  rational  beings,  capable  of  feel- 
ing, thinking  and  acting.  Too  many  music 
teachers  learn  their  business  by  experimenting 
on  beginners.  It  has  been  suggested  as  a  safe- 

48 


Blunders  in  Music  Study 

guard  against  their  blunders,  and  all  igno- 
rance, carelessness  and  imposture,  that  music 
might  be  placed  under  the  same  legal  pro- 
tection accorded  other  important  factors  in 
social  life,  and  that  no  one  be  permitted  to 
teach  it  without  a  license  granted  by  a  compe- 
tent board  of  judges  after  the  applicant  had 
passed  a  successful  examination,  theoretical 
and  practical.  This  would  be  well  if  there  was 
any  certainty  of  choosing  suitable  persons  to 
select  the  judges. 

A  practical  Vienna  musician,  H.  Geisler,  has 
recently  created  no  little  sensation  by  asserting 
that  the  pianoforte,  although  indispensable  for 
the  advanced  artist,  is  worthless,  even  harmful, 
in  primary  training,  and  that  the  methods  used 
in  teaching  it  are  based  on  a  total  misappre- 
hension of  the  musical  development  prescribed 
by  nature.  Sensual  and  intellectual  percep- 
tions must  actively  exist,  he  feels,  before  they 
can  be  expressed  by  means  of  an  instrument. 
It  is  a  mistake  to  presume  that  manual  practice 
can  call  them  into  being,  or  to  disregard  the  su- 
premacy of  the  tone-sense.  He  considers  the 

49 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

human  voice  the  primitive  educational  instru- 
ment of  music  and  believes  the  reasonable  order 
of  musical  education  to  be :  hearing,  singing, 
performing. 

This  order  is  to  be  commended,  and  might 
readily  be  followed  if  primary  instruction  was 
given  in  classes,  which  being  less  expensive 
than  private  tuition,  would  admit  of  more  fre- 
quent lessons  and  the  services  of  a  competent 
teacher.  Classes  afford  the  best  opportunity 
for  training  the  ear  to  accuracy  in  pitch,  the 
eye  to  steadiness  in  reading  notes,  the  mind  to 
comprehension  of  key  relationships,  form  and 
rhythmic  movement,  and  the  heart  to  a  realiza- 
tion of  the  beauty  and  purport  of  music.  In 
classes  the  stimulating  effect  of  healthy  compe- 
tition may  be  felt,  an  impulse  given  to  writing 
notes,  transposing  phrases  and  melodies, 
strengthening  musical  sentiment  and  refining1 
the  taste. 

Both  the  French  Solfege  method  and  the 
English  Tonic  Sol-fa  system  prove  the  ad- 
vantage of  rudimentary  training  in  classes. 
Mrs.  John  Spencer  Curwen,  wife  of  the  presi- 

50 


Blunders  in  Music  Study 

dent  of  the  London  Tonic  Sol-fa  College,  and 
daughter-in-law  of  the  late  Rev.  John  Curwen, 
founder  of  the  movement  it  represents,  has  ap- 
plied to  pianoforte  teaching  the  logical  princi- 
ples underlying  the  system,  which  are  those  ac- 
cepted by  modern  educators  as  the  psycholog- 
ical basis  of  all  education.  From  her  point  of 
view  the  music  lesson  may  be  made  attractive 
from  the  moment  the  pupil  is  placed  at  the  in- 
strument. 

Time  is  taught  by  her  as  a  mental  science, 
with  the  pulse  as  the  central  fact.  She  pro- 
ceeds rhythmically  rather  than  arithmetically, 
making  constant  appeals  to  that  within  the 
child  which  is  associated  with  music.  As  the 
ear  is  expected  to  verify  every  fact,  whether  of 
time  or  pitch,  she  deems  essential  to  profitable 
practicing  the  daily  supervision  of  some  per- 
son who  understands  the  teacher's  require- 
ments. 

Many  times  a  child  who  can  readily  explain 
the  relative  value  of  every  note  and  dot  will 
stumble  in  the  time  movement  when  confronted 
with  a  mixture  of  the  same  notes  and  dots. 

5J 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

This  is  because  no  mental  connection  has  been 
established  between  the  mechanical  time  sign 
and  its  sound,  which  is  the  outgrowth  of  in- 
stinctive impulses.  Time  confusion  may  also 
be  caused  by  confiding  too  implicitly  in  loud 
and  persistent  counting,  instead  of  trusting  to 
the  intelligently  guided  rhythmic  pulse. 

The  keenness  of  musical  perception  in  the 
blind  is  a  subject  of  frequent  comment.  It  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  neither  outer  nor  inner  ear 
is  distracted  by  the  organ  of  sight,  and  the 
mind  is  compelled  to  concentrate  itself  with 
peculiar  intensity  on  the  tone-images  aroused 
for  its  contemplation.  When  one  of  the  senses 
is  weakened  or  lost,  the  others  become  strong 
through  the  requirements  made  on  them.  This 
shows  how  much  may  be  gained  in  music 
study  by  throwing  responsibility  on  those  fac- 
ulties it  is  desirable  to  develop. 

There  are  numerous  promising  schemes  for 
class  work  in  operation  in  our  own  country, 
some  of  them  offering  excellent  advantages  to 
the  student.  From  the  music  study  in  our 
public  schools  valuable  results  ought  to  come  in 

52 


Blunders  in  Music  Study 

time.  Thus  far,  unfortunately,  it  is  too  often 
conducted  by  teachers  who  are  themselves 
without  trained  musical  ability  and  who  per- 
mit their  pupils  to  shout  rather  than  sing  music 
of  an  inferior  order  to  the  accompaniment  of  a 
piano  wretchedly  out  of  tune. 

The  much  beloved  Phillips  Brooks  once  said  : 
"A  school  song  in  the  heart  of  a  child  will  do 
as  much  for  his  character  as  a  fact  in  his  mem- 
ory, or  a  principle  in  his  intellect."  Unques- 
tionably a  love  for  good  music,  inspired  during 
the  formative  period,  is  calculated  to  open  un- 
limited possibilities,  and  ours  could  readily  be 
molded  into  a  musical  nation  if  a  firm  founda- 
tion for  musical  knowledge  and  appreciation 
were  laid  in  our  schools.  After  the  rudiments 
were  mastered,  it  could  easily  be  decided  which 
pupils  had  a  natural  bent  demanding  special 
training. 

Where  music  study  becomes  compulsory  the 
blunder  of  permitting  the  compulsion  to  be  felt 
must  be  avoided.  Socrates  of  old,  in  Plato's 
Republic,  advised  making  early  education  a  sort 
of  amusement.  Those  who  heed  his  counsel 

53 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

should  not  forget  that  in  turning  music  study 
altogether  into  play  work  there  is  danger  of 
weakening  the  will.  The  tottering  footsteps 
should  be  guided  wisely,  as  well  as  tenderly,  in 
the  first  approach  to  the  Temple  of  Art,  that 
the  pupil  may  learn  to  walk,  as  well  as  to  ob- 
serve and  think  independently.  We  most  prize 
beauty  that  we  are  able  to  discern  for  ourselves. 
We  gain  strength  by  intelligently  conquering 
our  own  problems  and  perplexities.  "Nothing 
is  impossible,"  as  Mirabeau  has  said,  "for  one 
who  can  will." 

The  aim  of  music  study  is  to  know  music,  to 
gain  a  correct  conception  of  how  it  should 
sound,  and  so,  as  far  as  possible,  to  make  it 
sound.  This  aim  can  never  be  reached  by  the 
mere  cultivation  of  technical  adroitness.  Untold 
sacrifices  are  made  to-day  to  what  becomes  the 
unrighteous  mammon  of  technique  when  the 
mechanical  side  of  practice  is  exalted  above  its 
interpretative  aspects.  Schumann  deemed  bril- 
liancy of  execution  only  valuable  when  it  served 
a  higher  purpose.  That  higher  purpose  is  to 
reach  and  express  the  soul  of  music.  Unless 

54 


I'.KAIIMS 


54 


Blunders  in  Music  Study 

enriched  by  it,  all  mechanism  is  dead.  It  is  not 
desirable  that  every  one  should  perform  acro- 
batic feats  on  some  musical  instrument,  or  in- 
dulge in  vocal  pyrotechnics,  but  it  is  desirable 
to  extract  music  out  of  whatever  technique  may 
be  attained.  Instead  of  racing  onward  with  fe- 
verish haste  to  ever  increased  technical  skill  at 
the  expense  of  other  development,  it  were  well 
for  the  student  to  pause  until  each  composition 
attacked,  be  it  but  an  exercise,  could  be  inter- 
preted with  accuracy,  intelligence,  and  feeling. 
We  should  then  have  more  musicianly  players 
and  singers.  We  should  more  often  be  brought 
under  the  magic  spell  of  exquisitely  shaded  tone 
that  may  make  a  simple  little  melody  alive  with 
beauty. 

A  grave  blunder  of  our  present  music  study 
is  the  neglect  of  ensemble  playing  and  singing. 
Some  of  the  noblest  music  written  is  for  part- 
singing  and  for  two  or  more  instruments.  Much 
profit  and  delight  will  be  the  result  of  making 
its  acquaintance.  Four  and  eight  hand  piano 
arrangements  of  the  great  overtures  and  sym- 
phonies, too,  are  valuable  and  enjoyable.  They 

55 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

prepare  the  way  for  an  appreciation  of  an 
orchestral  performance  of  these  masterpieces, 
and  broaden  the  musical  horizon.  Where  there 
are  several  music  students  in  a  family  it  is  a 
pity  for  them  to  confine  their  efforts  exclusively 
to  the  piano,  although  every  musician  should 
have  some  knowledge  of  this  household  instru- 
ment. That  is  a  happy  home  whose  members 
are  united  by  the  playing  or  singing  of  noble 
concerted  music. 

It  is  an  absurd  error  to  suppose  that  fine 
soloists  cannot  succeed  in  ensemble  work,  or  as 
accompanists.  Those  who  fail  have  been  poorly 
grounded  in  their  art.  They  may  give  dazzling 
performances  of  works  bristling  with  technical 
difficulties,  yet  make  a  sad  failure  of  some  slow, 
tender  movement  that  calls  for  musicianly  un- 
derstanding and  delicate  treatment.  The  truth 
is,  the  requirements  for  an  artistic  accompanist, 
or  for  artistic  concerted  work,  are  the  same  as 
for  an  artistic  soloist :  well  directed  musical  ap- 
titude, love  of  art,  an  ear  attuned  to  listening 
and  large  experience  in  sight-reading. 

The  music  pupils'  public  recital  contributes 

56 


Blunders  in  Music  Study 

no  little  to  the  blunders  of  the  day  in  music 
study.  Especially  with  piano  pupils,  the  work 
of  the  year  is  likely  to  be  shaped  with  reference 
to  the  supreme  occasion  when  results  attained 
may  be  exhibited  in  the  presence  of  assembled 
parents  and  friends.  The  popular  demand 
being  for  the  mastery  of  technique,  showy 
pieces  are  prepared  whose  mechanism  so  claims 
the  attention  that  the  principles  underlying 
both  technics  and  interpretation  are  neglected. 
Well-controlled  hands,  fingers,  wrists  and  arms, 
with  excellent  manipulation  of  the  key-board, 
may  be  admired  at  the  recital,  but  little  of  that 
effective  playing  is  heard  which  finds  its  way 
to  the  hearer's  heart.  A  dead  monotony  will 
too  often  recall  the  letter  that  killeth  because 
devoid  of  the  spirit  that  giveth  life. 

Sounding  notes,  even  sounding  them 
smoothly,  clearly,  and  rapidly,  is  not  neces- 
sarily making  music,  and  a  succession  of  them 
without  warmth  and  coloring  is  truly  as  in- 
artistic as  painting  without  shading.  If  it 
were  more  commonly  realized  that  it  is  an 
essential  part  of  the  music  teacher's  vocation 

57 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

to  train  the  mind  and  the  emotions  and 
through  them  the  will  and  the  character,  there 
would  be  a  higher  standard  for  the  music 
pupils'  recital.  No  one  would  be  permitted 
to  play,  or  sing  in  public  who  could  not  give 
an  artistic,  as  well  as  a  technically  correct  per- 
formance. 

Music  students  should  lose  no  opportunity  to 
hear  the  best  music,  both  vocal  and  instru- 
mental. Heard  with  understanding  ears  one 
good  concert  is  often  worth  a  dozen  lessons, 
yet  many  students  know  nothing  in  music  be- 
yond what  they  have  practiced  themselves,  or 
heard  their  fellow-students  give  at  rehearsals 
or  recitals.  If  they  attend  concerts  at  all,  it  is 
rather  to  observe  some  schoolmaster  method 
in  their  own  particular  branch  than  actually  to 
enjoy  music.  Trying  to  gain  a  musical  educa- 
tion without  a  wide  acquaintance  with  the  liter- 
ature of  music  is  like  attempting  to  form  liter- 
ary taste  without  knowing  the  world's  great 
books.  To  bathe  in  the  glow  of  the  mighty 
masterpieces  of  genius  neutralizes  much  that 
is  evil.  In  music  they  are  the  only  authoritative 

58 


Blunders  in  Mxisic  St\idy 

illustrations  between  notes  and  the  ideals  they 
represent;  they  form  the  models  and  maxims 
by  means  of  which  we  approach  a  knowledge 
of  music. 

In  view  of  hearing  good  music,  breathing 
a  musical  atmosphere  and  being  glorified  into 
artists,  vast  numbers  of  American  girls  seek 
foreign  musical  centres.  They  are  apt  to  go 
without  suitable  equipment,  mental  or  musical, 
and  with  inadequate  pecuniary  provisions. 
They  expect  to  attain  in  a  few  months  what 
they  are  doomed  to  discover  would  take  years 
to  accomplish,  and  cannot  fail  to  suffer  for  the 
blunder.  Many  of  them  return  home  disap- 
pointed in  their  aims,  and  ruined  in  health. 
Many  of  them  are  stranded  in  strange  lands. 
A  crusade  should  be  started  against  indiscrim- 
inate going  abroad  for  music  study,  without 
thorough  preparation  in  every  respect. 

The  fact  is,  a  free,  true,  fearless  hero,  such 
as  Wagner  found  in  his  Siegfried,  is  needed  to 
slay,  with  his  invincible  sword,  the  dragon  of 
sordid  materialism,  and  awaken  the  slumbering 
bride  of  genuine  art.  A  storm-god  is  wanted 

59 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

to  swing  his  hammer  and  finally  dissipate  the 
clouds  that  obscure  the  popular  vision.  Some 
one  has  called  for  a  plumed  knight  at  the  liter- 
ary tournament,  with  visor  down,  lance  in 
hand,  booted  and  spurred  for  the  fight  with 
prevalent  errors.  One  is  equally  needed  at  the 
musical  tournamenc. 


60 


Ill 


The    Musical    Education   That 
Educates. 

THERE  is  a.  musical  education  that  educates, 
a  musical  education  that  refines,  strengthens, 
broadens  the  character  and  the  views,  that 
ripens  every  God-given  instinct  and  force.  It 
arouses  noble  thoughts  and  lofty  ideals;  it 
quickens  the  perceptions,  opening  up  a  world 
of  beauty  that  is  closed  to  the  unobservant;  it 
bears  its  fortunate  possessor  into  a  charmed  at- 
mosphere, where  inspiring,  elevating  influences 
prevail.  Its  aim  is  nothing  short  of  the  abso- 
lutely symmetrical  development  of  the  spiritual, 
intellectual  and  physical  being,  in  view  of 

61 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

making  the  well-rounded  musician,  the  well- 
balanced  individual. 

The  profits  derived  from  a  musical  educa- 
tion are  proportionate  to  the  investment.  Care- 
less work,  an  utter  disregard  of  principles,  in 
other  words,  a  mere  dabbling  with  music,  will 
afford  but  superficial  results.  It  is  precisely 
the  same  with  a  haphazard  pursuit  of  any 
branch  of  art,  science,  or  literature.  Through 
music  the  soul  of  mankind  may  be  elevated,  the 
secret  recesses  of  thought  and  feeling  stirred, 
and  every  emotion  of  which  the  individual  is 
capable  made  active.  In  order  to  attain  its  full 
benefits  it  is  imperative  to  use  it  as  a  profound 
living  force,  not  as  a  mere  surface  decoration. 

"The  musician  ever  shrouded  in  himself 
must  cultivate  his  inmost  being  that  he  may 
turn  it  outward,"  said  Goethe.  A  true  musical 
education  provides  culture  for  the  inmost 
being.  It  tends  to  enlarge  the  sympathies,  en- 
rich social  relations  and  invest  daily  life  with 
gracious  dignity.  Those  who  gain  it  beautify 
their  own  lives  and  thus  become  able  to  make 
the  world  seem  more  beautiful  to  others.  Those 

62 


Musica.1  Education  Th&t  Educates 

who  are  never  able  to  give  utterance  to  the 
wealth  of  thought  and  feeling  it  has  aroused 
in  their  hearts  and  imaginations  are  still  happy 
in  possessing  the  store.  After  all,  our  main 
business  in  art,  as  in  life,  is  to  strive.  Honest 
effort  meets  with  its  own  reward,  even  where 
it  does  not  lead  to  what  the  world  calls  success. 

It  has  been  said  that  he  who  sows  thoughts 
will  reap  deeds,  habits,  character.  The  force 
of  these  words  is  exemplified  in  the  proper 
study  of  music,  which  results  in  a  rich  harvest 
of  self-restraint,  self-reliance,  industry,  pa- 
tience, perseverance,  powers  of  observation, 
retentive  memory,  painstaking  effort,  strength 
of  mind  and  character.  To  possess  these  qual- 
ities at  their  best  abundant  thought  must  be 
sown.  Merely  to  ring  changes  on  the  emo- 
tions will  not  elevate  to  the  heights.  The 
musical  education  that  educates  makes  of  the 
reasoning  powers  a  lever  that  keeps  the  emo- 
tions in  their  rightful  channel. 

Aristotle,  who  dominated  the  world's 
thought  for  upwards  of  two  thousand  years, 
attributed  his  acquirements  to  the  command  he 

63 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

had  gained  over  his  mind.  Fixedness  of  pur- 
pose, steady,  undivided  attention,  mental  con- 
centration, accuracy,  alertness,  keen  perception 
and  wise  discrimination  are  essential  to 
achievement.  This  is  true  of  giant  minds;  it 
is  equally  true  of  average  intellects.  The  right 
musical  education  will  conduce  to  these  habits. 
Musical  education  without  them  must  inev- 
itably be  a  failure. 

Music  study  is  many-sided.  To  make  it 
truly  educative  it  must  be  pursued  from  both 
theoretical  and  practical  standpoints.  It 
should  include  technical  training  which  affords 
facility  to  express  whatever  a  person  may  have 
for  expression;  intellectual  training  which  en- 
ables a  person  to  grasp  the  constructive  laws  of 
the  art,  its  scope,  history  and  aesthetics,  with 
all  that  calls  into  play  the  analytic  and  imagi- 
native faculties;  and  spiritual  development 
which  imparts  warmth  and  glow  to  everything. 
Even  those  who  do  not  advance  far  in  music 
study  would  do  well,  as  they  proceed,  to  touch 
the  art  on  as  many  sides  as  possible,  in  view  of 
enlarging  the  musical  sense,  sharpening  the. 

64 


Musica.1  Education  Tha.t  Educates 

musical  perception,  concentrating  and  multi- 
plying the  agencies  by  virtue  of  which  musical 
knowledge  and  proficiency  are  attained. 

"Truth,"  said  Madox-Brown,  the  Pre- 
Raphaelite,  "is  the  means  of  art,  its  end  the 
quickening  of  the  soul."  Music  does  more 
than  quicken  the  soul;  it  reveals  the  soul, 
makes  it  conscious  of  itself.  Springing  from 
the  deepest  and  best  that  is  implanted  in  man, 
it  fertilizes  the  soil  from  which  it  uprises. 
Both  beauty  and  truth  are  essential  to  its  wel- 
fare. As  Hamilton  W.  Mabie  has  said :  "We 
need  beauty  just  as  truly  as  we  need  truth,  for 
it  is  as  much  a  part  of  our  lives.  We  have 
learned  in  part  the  lesson  of  morality,  but  we 
have  yet  to  learn  the  lesson  of  beauty."  This 
must  be  learned  through  the  culture  of  the 
aesthetic  taste,  a  matter  of  slow  growth,  which 
should  begin  with  the  rudiments,  and  is  best 
fostered  in  an  atmosphere  saturated  with  good 
music. 

Too  much  stress  cannot  be  laid  on  the  im- 
portance of  hearing  good  music.  When  it 
falls  on  listening  ears  it  removes  all  desire  for 

65 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

anything  coarse  or  unrefined.  Constant  com- 
panionship with  it  prepares  the  ear  to  hear,  the 
inner  being  to  receive,  and  cannot  fail  to  bring 
forth  fruit.  The  creations  of  noble  minds 
form  practical  working-forces  in  shaping  char- 
acter, purifying  taste  and  elevating  standards. 
A  literary  scholar  cannot  be  made  of  one  who 
has  not  been  brought  into  close  touch  with  the 
productions  of  the  great  masters  in  literature, 
nor  an  artistic  painter,  or  sculptor,  of  one  who 
has  never  known  a  great  painting  or  piece  of 
statuary.  Neither  can  a  thorough  musician  be 
made  of  any  one  who  is  ignorant  of  the  master- 
works  of  music.  It  is  well  to  realize,  with 
Goethe,  that  the  effect  of  good  music  is  not 
caused  by  its  novelty,  but  strikes  more  deeply 
the  more  we  are  familiar  with  it. 

The  human  voice  being  practically  the  foun- 
dation of  music  and  the  first  music  teacher, 
every  well-educated  musician  should  be  able 
to  use  it,  and  should  have  a  clear  understand- 
ing of  its  possibilities  and  limitations,  no  mat- 
ter what  his  specialty  may  be.  Composers 
and  performers  alike  will  derive  benefit  from 

66 


MusicaJ  Education  Tha.t  Educates 

some  dealing  with  the  vocal  element.  Vocal 
culture  is  conducive  to  health,  and  aids  in  gain- 
ing command  of  the  nerves  and  muscles. 
They  who  profit  by  it  will  best  understand  the 
varied  nuances  of  intonation,  expression  and 
coloring  of  which  music  is  capable,  and  will 
learn  how  to  make  a  musical  instrument  sing. 
Likewise  vocalists  should  familiarize  them- 
selves with  other  domains  of  their  art,  and 
should  be  able  to  handle  some  instrument, 
more  especially  the  piano  or  organ,  that  they 
may  be  brought  into  intimate  relations  with  the 
harmonic  structure  of  music. 

To  make  music  study  most  effective  the  sci- 
entific methods  of  other  departments  of  learn- 
ing must  be  applied  to  it.  For  the  supreme 
good  of  both  art  and  science  need  to  be  brought 
into  close  fellowship.  Art  is  the  child  of  feel- 
ing and  imagination;  science  the  child  of  rea- 
son. Art  requires  the  illumination  of  science; 
science  the  insight  of  art.  Music  combines 
within  itself  the  qualities  of  art  and  science. 
As  a  science  it  is  a  well-ordered  system  of  laws, 
and  cannot  be  comprehended  without  knowl- 

67 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

edge  of  these.  As  an  art,  it  is  its  business  to 
awaken  a  mood,  to  express  a  sentiment;  it  is 
knowledge  made  efficient  by  skill — thought, 
effect,  taste  and  feeling  brought  into  active 
exercise. 

No  art,  no  science,  affords  opportunity  for 
more  magnificent  mental  discipline  than  music. 
Moreover,  a  careful,  earnest  study  of  the  art 
furnishes  a  stimulus  to  activity  in  other  fruit- 
ful fields.  Although  subordinate  to  life  and 
character  it  contributes  freely  to  these,  and  its 
best  results  come  from  life  that  is  exceeding 
rich,  and  character  that  is  strong,  true  and  en- 
lightened through  broad,  general  culture.  The 
musical  education  that  educates  develops  some- 
thing more  than  mere  players  and  singers;  it 
develops  thinking,  feeling  musicians,  in  whom 
large  personalities  may  be  recognized. 

Stephen  A.  Emory  of  Boston,  whose  studies 
in  harmony  are  widely  used,  and  who  left  be- 
hind him  an  influence  as  a  teacher  that  is  far- 
reaching,  divined  the  true  secret  of  musical 
education,  from  the  rudiments  upward,  and 
expressed  his  views  freely  and  clearly.  He 

68 


MusicaJ  Education  Tha.t  Educates 

thought  it  indispensable  for  the  musician  to 
make  music  the  central  point  of  his  efforts  and 
equally  indispensable  for  him  to  have,  as  sup- 
ports to  this,  knowledge  and  theories  from 
countless  sources.  "It  must  be  as  a  noble 
river,"  he  said  of  the  pursuit  of  music;  "though 
small  and  unobserved  in  its  source,  winding  at 
first  alone  its  tortuous  way  through  opposing 
obstacles,  yet  ever  broadening  and  deepening, 
fed  by  countless  streams  on  either  hand  till  it 
rolls  onward  in  a  mighty  sweep,  at  once  a 
glory  and  a  blessing  to  the  earth." 

To  conquer  music  a  musician  must  have 
conquered  self.  As  music  can  no  more  be  ab- 
solutely conquered  than  self,  the  effort  to  gain 
the  mastery  over  both  necessitates  a  continual 
healthy,  earnest  striving,  which  makes  the  in- 
dividual grow  in  strength,  grace  and  happi- 
ness. That  musician  has  been  rightly  trained 
whose  every  thought,  mood  and  feeling,  every 
muscle  and  fibre,  have  been  brought  under  the 
subjection  of  his  will.  Professor  Huxley  ut- 
tered the  following  words  that  may  well  be 
applied  to  a  musical  education : 

69 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

"That  man,  I  think,  has  had  a  liberal  edu- 
cation, who  has  been  so  trained  in  his  youth 
that  his  body  is  the  ready  servant  of  his  will 
and  does  with  ease  and  pleasure  all  the  work 
that,  as  a  mechanism,  it  is  capable  of;  whose 
intellect  is  a  clear,  cold,  logic  engine,  with  all 
its  parts  of  equal  strength  and  in  smooth  work- 
ing order;  ready,  like  the  steam  engine,  to  be 
turned  to  any  kind  of  work,  and  spin  the  gos- 
samers as  well  as  forge  the  anchors  of  the 
mind ;  whose  mind  is  stored  with  knowledge  of 
the  great  and  fundamental  truths  of  nature  and 
of  the  laws  of  her  operations,  one,  who,  no 
stunted  ascetic,  is  full  of  life  and  fire,  but 
whose  passions  are  trained  to  come  to  feel,  by  a 
vigorous  will,  the  servant  of  a  tender  con- 
science; who  has  learned  to  love  all  beauty, 
whether  of  nature,  or  of  art,  to  hate  all  vile- 
ness,  and  to  respect  others  as  himself." 

The  correctness  of  applying  the  last  clause 
to  the  musician  will  be  questioned  by  those  who 
delight  in  enlarging  on  the  petty  jealousies  of 
musicians.  It  will  be  learned  in  time  that 
these  foibles  belong  only  to  petty  musicians, 

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MusicaJ  Edvicivtion  Tho^t  Educates 

and  that  no  one  knows  better  how  to  respect 
others  as  himself  than  one  who  has  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  the  musical  education  that  edu- 
cates. 


71 


IV 

How  to  Interpret  M\isic 

CERTAIN  learned  college  professors  were 
once  heard  discussing  methods  of  literary  criti- 
cism and  interpretation.  They  spoke  of  ex- 
ternal and  technical  forms,  and  how  magnifi- 
cently these  were  illustrated  in  the  world's  ac- 
knowledged masterpieces  of  literature.  Every 
work  read  or  studied,  they  decided,  should  be 
carefully  weighed,  measured  and  analyzed,  and 
should  be  judged  solely  by  the  maxims  and 
laws  deduced  from  classical  standards.  The 
critical  faculty  must  never  be  permitted  to 
slumber  or  to  sleep.  Above  all,  the  literary 
student  should  beware  of  trusting  to  impres- 
sions. 

Not  a  word  was  uttered  in  regard  to  the  con- 

73 


tents  of  the  masterpieces  in  question,  the  spe- 
cial emotions,  the  overwhelming  passions  they 
revealed,  the  mighty  experiences  of  which  they 
were  the  result.  Nothing  was  said  about  the 
source  of  a  great  book  in  the  life  of  its  author, 
or  its  value  as  a  record  of  what  many  minds 
and  hearts  of  an  entire  epoch  have  thought, 
felt  and  desired.  The  learned  professors  were 
so  deeply  concerned  with  what  they  considered 
the  demands  of  strict  scholarship  that  they  lost 
sight  of  the  spirit  which  animates  every  true 
work  of  art.  To  them  literature  consisted  of 
words,  phrases,  sentences,  figures  of  speech, 
classical  allusions,  and  well-constructed  forms. 
They  regarded  it  apparently  as  an  artificial 
product,  compounded  according  to  traditional 
and  cautiously  prescribed  recipes. 

An  aged  man  of  letters  present,  one  who 
was  characterized  by  his  ripe  scholarship,  his 
richly  cultured  personality,  sat  listening  in 
silence  to  the  conversation.  Suddenly  he  rose 
up,  and,  in  vibrant  tones,  exclaimed :  "Where 
hath  the  soul  of  literature  fled,  its  vital  part? 
If  we  are  to  trample  upon  our  impressions  the 

94 


How  to  Interpret  Music 

best  that  is  within  us  will  be  chilled.  Of  what 
avail  is  education  if  it  does  not  lead  to  the  un- 
folding of  our  God-given  intuitions  ?  Friends, 
if  the  trend  of  modern  criticism  be  to  divorce 
literature  from  life,  the  throb  and  thrill  of  great 
art  will  soon  cease  to  be  felt." 

The  lesson  conveyed  by  these  words  may 
with  equal  propriety  be  applied  to  the  field  of 
music.  Viewing  certain  current  tendencies 
the  cultured  musician  is  often  moved  to  wonder 
where  the  soul  of  music  has  fled.  The  critical 
faculty  is  keenly  alive  to-day,  but  musical  criti- 
cism, shorn  of  its  better  part,  musical  appre- 
ciation, can  never  lead  to  the  insight  requisite 
for  true  musical  interpretation.  Observation 
and  perception,  intellectual  discernment  and 
spiritual  penetration  are  essential  to  gain  in- 
sight into  a  great  musical  composition  until  its 
musical  ideas,  the  very  grade  and  texture  of  its 
style,  are  absolutely  appropriated." 

In  his  "Death  in  the  Desert,"  Robert  Brown- 
ing tells  of  the  three  souls  that  make  up  the 
soul  of  man:  the  soul  which  Does;  the  soul 
which  Knows,  feels,  thinks  and  wills,  and  the 
75 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

soul  which  Is  and  which  constitutes  man's  real 
self.  Appreciation  of  music  requires  the  ut- 
most activity  of  all  three  souls.  The  more  we 
are,  the  broader  our  culture,  the  more  we  think, 
feel  and  know,  the  more  we  will  find  in  music. 
Dr.  Hiram  Corson,  commenting  on  Brown- 
ing's words,  says  the  rectification,  or  adjust- 
ment of  what  Is,  that  which  constitutes  our 
true  being,  should  transcend  all  other  aims  of 
education.  If  this  fact  were  more  generally 
accepted  and  enforced  it  could  soon  no  longer 
be  said  that  few  persons  reach  maturity  with- 
out the  petrifaction  of  some  faculty  of  mind 
and  heart. 

Every  faculty  we  possess  needs  to  be  keenly 
alive  for  the  interpretation  of  the  best  in  music. 
One  who  is  accustomed  to  earnest  thinking, 
quick  observation  and  sympathetic  penetration 
will  see,  hear  and  feel  much  that  utterly  escapes 
those  whose  best  faculties  have  been  permitted 
to  lie  dormant,  or  become  petrified.  The  in- 
terpreter of  music  must  have  vital  knowledge 
of  the  inner,  spiritual  element  of  every  work  of 
art  he  attempts  to  reproduce.  His  imagina- 

76 


How  to  Interpret  Music 

tion  must  be  kindled  by  it,  and  musical  imag- 
ination is  infinitely  more  precious  than  musi- 
cal mechanism. 

It  is  by  no  means  intended  to  underrate  tech- 
nical proficiency.  No  one  can  be  a  satisfactory 
exponent  of  music  whose  technique  is  defi- 
cient, however  profound  may  be  his  musicianly 
understanding  and  feeling.  At  the  same  time, 
with  every  tone,  every  measure,  mechanically 
correct,  a  performance  may  fail  to  move  the 
listener,  because  it  lacks  warmth  and  glow. 
Only  they  can  make  others  feel  who  feel  them- 
selves, but  sentiment  is  apt  to  be  confounded 
with  sentimentality  unless  it  is  guided  by  a 
scholarly  mind.  The  more  feeling  is  spirit- 
ualized wfth  thought  the  nobler  it  will  be. 
Heart  and  head  need  to  operate  in  company 
with  well-controlled  physical  forces,  in  order 
that  a  fine  interpretation  of  music  may  be  at- 
tained. Faultless  technique,  in  the  service  of 
a  lofty  ideal,  indeed  ceases  to  be  mechanical 
and  becomes  artistic. 

A  musical  work  of  art  originates  in  the  deep 
well  of  the  fertile  imagination  of  genius,  and 
77 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

can  only  be  drawn  forth  when  the  composer  is 
in  that  highly  exalted  frame  of  mind  we  call 
inspiration.  The  theme,  or  musical  subject, 
is  a  vital  spark  of  the  divine  fire,  and  has 
flashed  unbidden  into  his  consciousness,  de- 
manding undivided  attention  for  its  logical  de- 
velopment. With  infinite  care  he  molds  and 
groups  the  musical  factors  which  are  his  work- 
ing forces,  and  of  which  he  has  both  an  intui- 
tive and  a  practical  knowledge.  The  manifold 
forms  he  fashions  all  combine  for  one  purpose, 
and  lead  persistently  to  one  grand  climax,  from 
which  they  may  return  to  the  repose  whence 
they  came.  Unity  in  diversity  is  the  goal  he 
sets  before  himself.  All  aglow  though  he  is 
with  the  joy  of  artistic  production,  he  dare  not 
permit  his  mind  to  waver  from  the  task  in  hand. 
Music  is  not  to  be  played  with,  and  the  labor 
of  composition  is  no  trifling  matter.  It  de- 
mands the  keenest  mental  activity,  the  most 
profound  mental  concentration.  It  demands 
consecration.  The  composer  thinks  and  works 
in  tones,  in  an  ideal  realm,  far  removed  from 
the  realities  of  the  external  world.  His  busi- 

78 


How  to  Interpret  Mvislc 

ness  is  to  bring  his  theme  to  its  most  magnifi- 
cent unfolding,  treating  it  with  absolute  defi- 
niteness,  that  his  intention  may  be  perfectly 
clear. 

It  is  the  business  of  the  interpreter  of  music 
to  be  so  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  ele- 
ments of  which  music  is  composed  that  he  can 
promptly  recognize  the  color,  complexion  and 
individual  character  of  every  interval,  chord 
and  chord-combination,  every  consonance  and 
dissonance,  every  timbre  and  nuance,  and  every 
degree  of  phrasing  and  rhythm.  He  must  have 
so  complete  a  mastery  of  his  materials  and 
working  forces  that  his  imagination  may  be  in- 
fluenced unimpeded  by  the  emanations  from  the 
composer's  imagination  which  animate  the 
moving  forms  he  commands. 

It  is  his  business  to  respond  with  his  whole 
being  to  the  appeal  of  the  musical  masterpiece 
he  attempts  to  interpret,  and  so  express  the 
emotions  aroused  by  it  from  their  slumbers  in 
his  own  bosom  that  a  responsive  echo  may  be 
found  in  the  bosoms  of  the  listeners.  A  most 
ingeniously  constructed  music-box,  with  the 

79 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

presentation  of  a  complicated  piece  of  music, 
may  fail  to  move  a  heart  that  will  be  stirred  to 
its  depths  by  a  simple  song,  into  which  the 
singer's  whole  soul  has  been  thrown. 

Though  the  mind  of  the  inventive  genius  be 
a  mystery  that  may  not  fully  be  explained,  its 
product  is  within  the  grasp  of  the  intelligent 
seeker.  The  aesthetic  principles  of  musical 
construction  rest  on  certain  elementary  laws 
governing  both  the  human  organism  and  the 
phenomena  of  sound,  and  may  become  familiar 
to  any  one  who  is  capable  of  study.  In  the 
same  way  the  established  canons  of  musical  ex- 
pression, observed  by  the  skilful  artist,  con- 
sciously or  unconsciously,  are  traceable  to  nat- 
ural causes.  Without  realizing  the  inherent 
properties  of  music,  as  well  as  its  technical  pos- 
sibilities and  limitations,  we  cannot  know  the 
art. 

The  tonal  language  is  one  that  is  not  trans- 
latable into  words.  It  is  composed  of  an  in- 
finite variety  of  tone-forms,  now  sharply  con- 
trasted, now  gradually  blending  into  one  an- 
other, all  logically  connected,  all  tending  to 

80 


How  to  Interpret  Music 

form  a  perfect  whole.  The  profusion  of  har- 
monic, melodic,  dynamic  and  rhythmic  changes 
it  brings  forth  invests  it  with  a  meaning  far 
beyond  that  of  words,  a  musical  meaning. 
Every  masterpiece  of  music  clothes  in  tonal 
form  some  idea  which  originated  in  the  com- 
poser's mind.  To  the  interpreter  it  is  given  to 
invest  it  with  living  sound. 

Chords  and  chord  combinations  all  have  their 
individual  characteristics.  Some  cause  satis- 
faction, for  instance,  others  unrest.  When  a 
chord  of  the  dominant  seventh  is  heard,  the  ed- 
ucated musician  knows  that  a  solution  is  de- 
manded. The  unspoiled  ear  and  taste  instinct- 
ively feel  something  unfinished,  and  are  dis- 
turbed if  it  be  not  followed  by  a  return  to  the 
key  chord.  Where  the  faculties  are  dormant 
or  petrified,  its  significance  will  be  unobserved. 

The  story  is  told  of  a  young  lady  whose  mus- 
ical education  had  been  utterly  hollow  and  false, 
but  who,  having  been  overwhelmed  with  flat- 
tery for  her  voice  and  her  singing,  was  deluded 
into  a  belief  that  she  was  destined  to  shine  as  a 
star  on  the  operatic  stage.  She  consulted  the 

81 


•famous  basso,  Karl  Formes,  who  good-na- 
turedly had  her  sing  for  him.  He  perceived  at 
once  that  she  possessed  neither  striking  talent 
nor  adequate  training. 

As  a  supreme  test  he  struck  on  the  piano  a 
chord  of  the  dominant  seventh,  and  asked  the 
young  aspirant  for  dramatic  glory  what  she 
thought  it  meant.  Presuming  it  to  be  incum- 
bent upon  a  prospective  prima  donna  to  have 
uppermost  in  her  mind  the  grand  passion,  she 
replied,  in  a  sentimental  tone,  "Love!" 
Promptly  Karl  Formes  sounded  the  solution  to 
the  chord.  "There  is  your  answer,"  quoth  he. 
"I  ask  a  question,  and  it  is  thought  I  speak  of 
love.  Go  home,  my  good  girl,  and  seek  some 
other  avocation.  You  have  a  fair  voice,  but 
you  are  tone-deaf.  You  can  never  make  a  mu- 
sician." 

A  favorite  motto  of  the  piano  teacher  Les- 
chetitzky  is,  "Think  ten  times  before  you  play 
once."  If  this  rule  were  more  generally  ob- 
served we  should  have  better  interpreters  of 
music.  A  great  composition  should  completely 
occupy  mind  and  heart  before  it  is  attacked  by 

82 


Mow  to  Interpret  Music 

fingers  or  voice.  In  that  case  it  would  be  an- 
alyzed as  to  its  form,  its  tonal  structure,  its 
harmonic  relations,  its  phrasing  and  rhythms, 
and  its  musical  intention  would  become  lumi- 
nous. The  interpreter  would  understand 
where  accents  and  other  indications  of  expres- 
sion should  occur  and  why  they  should  so 
occur,  and  would  be  able,  in  however  feeble  a 
way,  to  find  and  reveal  the  true  heart  music 
that  lies  hidden  in  the  notes. 

It  is  never  too  early  in  a  course  of  music 
study  to  consider  the  requirements  of  musical 
expression.  Persistent  observance  of  them  will 
inevitably  quicken  the  artistic  sense.  The  rules 
to  which  they  have  given  rise  are  for  the  most 
part  simple  and  easily  explained.  For  obvious 
reasons,  all  musical  interpretation  is  expected 
to  imitate  song  as  closely  as  possible.  The  hu- 
man voice,  the  primitive  musical  instrument, 
in  moments  of  excitement,  ascends  to  a  higher 
pitch,  increasing  in  intensity  of  tone  as  it 
sweeps  upward.  Consequently  every  progres- 
sion from  lower  to  higher  tones,  whether 
played  or  sung,  demands  a  crescendo  unless 

83 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

some  plainly  denoted  characteristic  of  the 
music  calls  for  different  treatment.  A  de- 
scending passage,  as  a  return  to  tranquillity, 
requires  a  decrescendo. 

"The  outpouring  of  a  feeling  toward  its  ob- 
ject, whether  to  the  endless  heavens,  or  forth 
into  the  boundless  world,  or  toward  a  definite, 
limited  goal,  resembles  the  surging,  the  press- 
ing onward  of  a  flood,"  said  the  great  teacher, 
Dr.  Adolph  Kullak.  "Reversely,  that  feeling 
which  draws  its  object  into  itself  has  a  more 
tranquillizing  movement,  that  especially  when 
the  possession  of  the  object  is  assured,  appeases 
itself  in  equable  onward  flow  toward  the  goal  of 
a  normal  state  of  satisfaction.  The  emotional 
life  is  an  undulating  play  of  up-surging  and 
subsidence,  of  pressing  forward  beyond  tem- 
poral limitations  and  of  resigned  yielding  to 
temporal  necessities.  The  crescendo  and  de- 
crescendo  are  the  means  employed  in  music  for 
the  portrayal  of  this  manifestation  of  emotional 
life." 

Another  important  matter  which  may  to  a 
great  extent  be  reduced  to  rule  is  that  of  ac- 

84 


How  to  Interpret  Music 

centuation.  Through  it  a  tone-picture  is  in- 
vested with  animation,  and  a  clue  is  given  to  the 
disposition  of  tonal  forms.  Accents  are  always 
required  to  mark  the  entrance  of  a  theme,  a 
phrase  or  a  melody.  Where  there  are  several 
voices,  or  parts,  as  in  a  fugue,  each  voice  de- 
notes its  appearance  with  an  accent.  Every 
daring  assertion  hazarded  in  music,  as  in 
speech,  demands  special  emphasis.  Disso- 
nances need  to  be  brought  out  in  such  promi- 
nence that  they  may  not  appear  to  be  accidental 
misconceptions,  and  that  confident  expectation 
may  be  aroused  of  their  ultimate  resolution. 
Accentuation  must  be  regulated  by  the  claims 
of  musical  delivery.  At  all  times  too  gentle  an 
accent  is  without  effect,  too  glaring  an  accent  is 
to  be  condemned. 

Hans  von  Biilow  strenuously  advised  young 
musicians  to  cultivate  their  ears  and  strive  to 
attain  musical  beauty  in  what  is  termed  phras- 
ing, which  he  regarded  as  the  real  beginning  of 
greatness  in  a  performer.  Phrasing  and  time 
keeping  are  two  of  the  prime  essentials  in  mu- 


85 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

sical  delivery,  and  cannot  be  neglected  with  im- 
punity. 

Time  may  well  be  called  the  pulse  of  music. 
Upon  some  occasions  the  pulse  beats  more  rap- 
idly than  others.  It  is  incumbent  on  the  inter- 
preter of  music  to  ascertain  the  harmonic  and 
other  causes  which  determine  the  tempo  of  a 
musical  composition,  as  well  as  those  which 
make  slight  variations  from  it  admissible. 
Among  other  points  to  be  noted  is  the  fact  that 
sudden  transition  from  repose  to  restless  ac- 
tivity calls  for  an  accelerando,  while  the  reverse 
requires  a  rallentando. 

It  is  absolutely  imperative  for  one  who  would 
interpret  music  to  cultivate  the  memory.  The 
musician  who  cannot  play  or  sing  without  notes 
is  compelled  to  expend  a  large  amount  of  men- 
tal activity  on  reading  these,  and  will  find  it 
difficult  to  heed  the  manifold  requirements  of 
musical  expression  and  delivery,  of  which  a 
few  hints  have  here  been  given.  A  musical 
composition  is  never  thoroughly  understood 
until  it  has  been  intelligently  memorized.  One 
who  can  play  or  sing  without  notes  is  as  free  as 

86 


FRANZ    LISZT 


86 


How  to  Interpret  Music 

a  bird  to  soar  aloft  in  the  blue  ether  of  musical 
imagination. 

Every  interpreter  of  music  longs  for  appre- 
ciative listeners,  and  young  musicians,  in 
especial,  often  lament  the  lack  of  these.  It  is 
well  to  remember  that  the  genuine  musical  art- 
ist is  able  to  create  an  atmosphere  whose  influ- 
ences may  compel  an  average  audience  to  sym- 
pathetic listening.  A  good  plan  for  the  artist 
is  to  be  surrounded  in  fancy  with  an  audience 
having  sensitively  attuned  ears,  intellectual 
minds,  and  warm,  throbbing  hearts.  Music 
played  in  private  before  such  an  imaginary  au- 
dience will  gain  in  quality,  and  when  repeated 
before  an  actual  public  will  hold  that  public 
captive. 

We  have  it  from  Ruskin  that  all  fatal  faults 
in  art  that  might  otherwise  be  good  arise  from 
one  or  other  of  three  things :  either  from  the 
pretence  to  feel  what  we  do  not ;  the  indolence 
in  exercise  necessary  to  obtain  the  power  of  ex- 
pressing the  Truth;  or  the  presumptuous  in- 
sistence upon,  or  indulgence  in,  our  own  pow- 
ers and  delights,  with  no  care  or  wish  that  they 

8? 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

should  be  useful  to  other  people,  so  only  they 
should  be  admired  by  them. 

These  three  fatal  faults  must  be  avoided,  or 
conquered,  by  the  person  who  would  interpret 
music. 


How  to  Listen  to  Music 

LISTENING  is  an  art.  It  requires  close  and 
accurate  attention,  sympathy,  imagination  and 
genuine  culture.  Listening  to  music  is  an  art 
of  high  degree.  Many  derive  exquisite  enjoy- 
ment from  it,  for  music  is  potent  and  universal 
in  its  appeal.  To  listen  intelligently  to  music 
is  an  accomplishment  few  have  acquired. 

A  great  painting  presents  itself  as  a  com- 
pleted whole  before  the  observer's  eye.  It 
holds  on  the  canvas  the  fixed  place  given  it  by 
the  master  from  whose  genius  it  proceeded. 
No  intermediary  force  is  needed  to  come  be- 
tween it  and  the  impression  it  makes  on  the  be- 
holder. Music,  on  the  contrary,  must  be 
aroused  from  the  written,  or  printed  page  to 

89 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

living  tone  by  the  hand  or  voice  of  the  inter- 
preter, and  but  a  fragment  at  a  time  can  be 
made  perceptible  to  the  listener's  ear.  Like  a 
panorama,  it  comes  and  goes  before  the  imag- 
ination, its  kaleidoscopic  tints  and  forms  now 
sharply  contrasted,  now  almost  imperceptibly 
graduated  one  into  the  other,  but  all  shaping 
themselves  into  a  logical  union,  stamped  with 
the  design  of  a  creative  mind.  Properly  to  in- 
spect the  successive  musical  images,  and  grasp 
their  significance,  in  parts  and  as  a  whole,  de- 
mands keen  mental  alertness. 

Many  are  content  to  listen  to  music  for  the 
mere  sensuous  impression  it  creates  as  it  wraps 
itself  about  the  inner  being,  lulling  a  perturbed 
spirit  to  rest,  or  awakening  longing  and  aspira- 
tion, joy  and  sadness,  according  to  the  nature 
of  the  music  and  the  hearer's  mood.  Some 
even  take  pleasure  in  formulating  into  words 
the  sensations  evoked  by  the  ebb  and  flow  of 
the  tonal  waves,  and  fancy  they  are  thus  deriv- 
ing intellectual  profit  from  music. 

From  both  ways  of  listening  helpful  results 
may  accrue,  but  by  no  means  the  greatest. 

90 


How  to  Listen  to  Music 

Music  is  far  beyond  words,  and  in  attempting 
to  translate  it  into  these  we  miss  its  musical 
meaning,  the  best  that  is  in  it.  As  listeners  we 
derive  our  highest  aesthetic  and  intellectual 
satisfaction  from  the  ability  to  follow,  even  an- 
ticipate, the  composer's  intention,  now  finding 
our  expectations  fulfilled,  now  being  agreeably 
disappointed.  Failure  to  catch  the  opening 
phrase  and  preliminary  rhythms  of  the  compo- 
sition makes  it  impossible  to  appreciate  the 
tonal  forms  into  which  they  develop.  Nor  may 
the  mind  linger  over  any  one  part,  if  we  would 
grasp  the  work  as  an  unbroken  whole.  That 
musical  creation  alone  can  afford  the  noblest 
delights  that  prompts  and  rewards  the  act  of 
thus  closely  following  the  composer's  thought. 
An  instance  of  absolute  knowledge  of  music 
appears  in  an  anecdote  told  of  Johann  Sebastian 
Bach.  When  he  was  present  at  the  performance 
of  a  fugue  and  one  of  his  two  most  musical 
sons  was  with  him,  he  would,  as  soon  as  the 
theme  was  heard,  whisper  what  devices  and  de- 
velopments he  thought  should  be  introduced. 
If  the  composer  had  conformed  to  his  idea  of 

91 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

construction  he  would  jog  his  son  to  call  atten- 
tion to  the  fact.  Otherwise,  his  exceeding 
modesty  and  reverent  comprehension  of  the 
difficulties  of  the  art  made  him  the  most  lenient 
of  critics. 

Few  have  reached  the  luminous  heights  this 
master  of  masters  trod.  Even  a  well-culti- 
vated ear  and  taste  may  often  be  baffled  by  the 
intricacies  of  a  fugue,  symphony  or  other  great 
work  of  musical  art  heard  for  the  first  time. 
The  best  listener  beyond  the  pale  of  genius  will 
at  times  feel  as  one  astray  in  a  labyrinth  of 
beauty  to  which  for  the  moment  no  clue  ap- 
pears. A  single  representation  will  rarely 
suffice  to  reveal  the  full  worth  of  a  masterpiece 
of  music.  By  hearing  it  often,  by  admitting  it, 
or  some  reproduction  of  it,  to  our  own  fire- 
side, we  will  become  familiar  with  its  contents 
and  learn  truly  to  know  it. 

Those  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  have 
been  surrounded  from  childhood  up  by  the 
choicest  gems  of  the  tonal  language,  and 
whose  minds  are  of  the  receptive  order,  will 
insensibly  attain  a  refinement  of  taste  and 

92 


How  to  Listen  to  Music 

delicacy  of  perception  no  learned  dissertation 
on  music  could  afford.  At  the  same  time,  an 
acquaintance  with  the  materials  and  elements 
of  which  the  art  is  composed  and  with  the  laws 
that  govern  them,  is  essential  to  enable  even 
one  who  has  heard  much  to  gain  the  complete 
enjoyment  that  comes  from  understanding. 
Confident  as  we  are  that  Prometheus  captured 
his  fire  from  Heaven,  we  ought  to  learn  some- 
thing of  its  attributes  before  we  accept  it  at 
his  hands,  that  we  may  be  able  to  distinguish  a 
true  spark  of  the  divine  flame  from  a  phos- 
phorescent will-o'-the-wisp. 

The  idea  so  largely  accepted  that  music  is 
an  unfathomable  mystery,  like  all  half  truths 
has  wrought  much  mischief,  and  has  greatly 
retarded  musical  progress  in  social  life.  Be- 
hind the  Divine  Art,  as  behind  Religion,  lies  the 
inscrutable  mystery  of  Life,  and  in  both  there 
is  a  Holy  of  Holies  only  the  consecrated  may 
enter.  Before  the  portals  of  this  are  reached 
there  is  a  broad,  fertile  field  for  intellectual 
activity  that  all  may  work  to  advantage,  pre- 
paring the  way  to  the  inner  sanctuary. 

93 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

The  musician  is  continually  confronted  with 
fresh  evidence  of  the  popular  ignorance,  even 
among  students  of  music,  in  regard  to  the  out- 
ward form  and  inner  grace  of  what  is  conceded 
to  be  the  most  popular  of  all  arts.  In  a  room- 
ful of  professed  music  lovers  a  definition  of 
counterpoint  was  recently  called  for,  and  no 
one  present  could  give  an  intelligent  answer. 
This  led  to  a  discussion  of  musical  questions 
which  resulted  in  the  disclosure  that  not  one 
of  the  company  could  define  melody,  harmony 
or  rhythm,  or  had  the  slightest  conception  of 
the  meaning  of  the  simplest  component  parts 
of  the  art  in  whose  service  they  were  making 
plentiful  sacrifices.  Some  knowledge  of  these 
things  is  absolutely  imperative,  not  alone  to 
the  student,  but  to  one  as  well  who  would 
listen  intelligently  to  music. 

Sound  and  motion  constitute  the  essence  of 
music.  Its  raw  materials  are  an  infinitely  rich 
mass  of  musical  sounds  that  bear  within  them- 
selves the  possibility  of  being  molded  into 
form.  By  the  musical  builders  of  the  past 
they  have  been  carefully  considered,  mathemat- 

94 


How  to  Listen  to  Music 

ically  calculated,  and  have  finally  resolved 
themselves  into  a  recognized  scale,  composed 
of  tones  and  half  tones.  These  are  the  com- 
poser's plastic  resources.  He  shapes  them  pre- 
cisely as  the  sculptor  fashions  the  pliable  clay 
with  which  he  strives  to  bring  his  ideal  to 
realization. 

All  sounds  are  the  result  of  atmospheric  vi- 
brations affecting  the  ear.  Musical  sound,  or 
tone,  is  produced  by  regular  vibrations,  and 
differs  from  mere  noise  whose  vibrations  are 
irregular  and  confused.  The  pitch  of  a  musical 
tone  rises  in  proportion  with  the  rapidity  of 
the  vibrations  that  produce  it.  Tones  may  be 
perceived  by  the  human  ear  ranging  from  about 
sixteen  vibrations  in  a  second  to  nearly  forty 
thousand,  more  than  eleven  octaves.  Only 
about  seven  octaves  are  used  in  music.  The 
science  of  acoustics  is  full  of  interesting  facts 
of  this  kind,  and  is  of  profound  value  to  any 
one  who  would  gain  an  insight  into  the  struc- 
ture of  music.  It  is  unfortunately  much  neg- 
lected. 

The  prime  elements  of  music  are  Melody, 

95 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Harmony  and  Rhythm.  They  are  perhaps  as 
little  realized  as  its  raw  materials.  Melody  is 
a  well  ordered  succession  of  musical  sounds, 
heard  one  at  a  time,  and  selected  from  a  de- 
fined, accepted  series,  not  taken  at  random 
from  a  heterogeneous  store.  Harmony  is  a 
combination  of  well-ordered  sounds  heard 
simultaneously,  and  with  suitable  concord,  or 
agreement.  Rhythm  is  measured  movement, 
or  the  periodical  recurrence  of  accent ;  and  sig- 
nifies symmetry  and  proportion. 

Melody,  unexhausted  and  inexhaustible,  is 
the  initial  force,  or,  as  Dr.  Marx  has  called  it, 
the  life-blood  of  music.  Within  itself  it  bears 
the  germ  of  harmony  and  rhythm.  A  succes- 
sion of  tones  without  harmonious  and  rhythmic 
regulation  would  be  felt  to  lack  something. 
Melody  has  been  designated  the  golden  thread 
running  through  the  maze  of  tone,  by  which 
the  ear  is  guided  and  the  heart  reached.  Helm- 
holtz  styled  it  the  essential  basis  of  music.  In 
a  special  sense,  it  is  artistically  constructed 
song.  The  creation  of  an  expressive  melody 
is  a  sure  mark  of  genius. 

96 


How  to  Listen  to  Music 

Harmony  arranges  musical  sounds  with  ref- 
erence to  their  union,  and  is  regulated  by  ar- 
tistic and  aesthetic  rules  and  requirements.  It 
has  endless  modes  of  transforming,  inverting 
and  intensifying  its  materials,  thus  continually 
affording  new  means  of  development.  All  the 
intervals  and  chords  used  in  music  had  to  be 
discovered,  one  by  one.  It  often  took  more 
than  a  century  to  bring  into  a  general  use  a 
chord  effect  introduced  by  some  adventuresome 
spirit.  Our  scale  intervals  are  the  slowly 
gained  triumphs  of  the  human  mind.  Modern 
music  did  not  emerge  from  the  darkness  of  the 
past  until  harmony,  as  we  know  it,  came  into 
active  being. 

Both  melody  and  harmony  are  controlled  by 
rhythm.  It  is  the  master  force  of  the  musical 
organism.  Before  man  was  the  ebb  and  flow 
of  nature  had  its  rhythm.  On  this  elementary 
rhythm,  the  one  model  music  finds  in  nature, 
the  inventive  mind  of  man  has  builded  the  won- 
derfully impressive  art  rhythms  existing  in  the 
masterpieces  of  music. 

Melodies  are  made  up  of  smaller  fragments, 

97 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

known  as  motives,  phrases  and  periods,  or  sen- 
tences, all  of  which  are  judiciously  repeated 
and  varied,  and  derive  their  individuality  from 
the  characteristics  of  their  intervals  and 
rhythms. 

A  motive  is  the  text  of  a  musical  composi- 
tion, the  theme  of  its  discourse.  The  most 
simple  motive,  with  proper  handling,  may  grow 
into  a  majestic  structure.  In  Beethoven's 
Fifth  Symphony  three  G  flats  in  eighth  notes, 
followed  by  an  E  flat  in  a  half  note,  form  a 
text,  as  of  Fate  knocking  at  the  door,  which, 
when  developed,  leads  to  tremendous  conflict 
ending  in  victory.  Those  notes  that  repeat 
and  modify  the  motive  and  are  combined  under 
one  slur  constitute  the  phrase,  which  is  similar 
to  a  clause  in  a  sentence  of  words.  A  period, 
or  sentence,  in  music,  comprises  a  musical  idea, 
complete  in  itself,  though  of  a  nature  to  pro- 
duce, when  united  with  other  harmonious  ideas, 
a  perfect  whole. 

A  simple  melody  is  usually  composed  of  eight 
measures,  or  some  number  divisible  by  four. 
There  are  exceptions,  as  in  "God  Save  the 

98 


How  to  Listen  to  Musrfc 

King,"  our  "America,"  of  which  the  first  part 
contains  six  measures,  the  second  part  eight. 

Habit  and  instinct  show  us  that  no  melody 
can  end  satisfactorily  without  some  cadence 
leading  to  a  note  belonging  to  the  tonic  or  key 
chord.  Very  often  the  first  part  of  a  melody 
will  end  on  a  note  of  the  dominant  chord,  from 
which  a  progression  will  arise  in  the  second  part 
that  leads  satisfactorily  to  a  concluding  note 
in  the  tonic  chord. 

Counterpoint,  literally  point  against  point,  is 
the  art  of  so  composing  music  in  parts  that 
several  parts  move  simultaneously,  making 
harmony  by  their  combination.  During  the 
fifteenth,  sixteenth,  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries  the  masters  of  counterpoint  shaped 
the  musical  materials  in  use  to-day.  So  anxious 
were  they  to  attain  perfection  of  form  they 
often  lost  sight  of  the  spirit  which  alone  can 
give  vitality  to  musical  utterances.  The  great 
Bach  infused  this  into  his  fugues,  the  highest 
manifestation  of  the  contrapuntal,  or  poly- 
phonic music  of  old. 

Meanwhile  the  growth  of  the  individual  led 

99 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

to  the  growth  of  monophcny  in  music,  in 
which  one  voice  stands  out  prominently,  with 
an  accompaniment  of  other  voices.  Its  instru- 
mental flower  was  reached  in  the  symphony. 
Melody  reigns  supreme  in  monophonic  music. 
Both  the  canon  and  the  fugue  form  a  common- 
wealth, in  which  all  voices  are  rated  alike. 
Viewed  rightly,  this  suits  the  modern  demo- 
cratic instinct,  and  there  is  to-day  a  tendency 
to  return  to  polyphonic  writing.  It  is  individ- 
uality in  union.  In  the  hands  of  genius  it  af- 
fords the  most  refined  kind  of  harmony. 

A  thorough  knowledge  of  counterpoint 
shows  the  mistake  of  regarding  it  merely  as 
a  dull  relic  of  a  dead  past.  It  is  a  living  reality 
that,  if  correctly  studied,  leads  to  a  solid,  dig- 
nified, flowing  style,  rich  in  design,  and  inde- 
pendent in  its  individuality.  Counterpoint,  said 
a  critic  in  the  London  Musical  News,  shows  the 
student  how  to  make  a  harmonic  phrase  like  a 
well-shaped  tree,  of  which  every  bough,  twig 
and  leaf  secures  for  itself  the  greatest  inde- 
pendence, the  fullest  measure  of  light  and  air. 
Composer,  interpreter  and  listener  may  all 

JOO 


How  to  Listen  to  Music 

profit   by   a   comprehension   of   counterpoint. 

From  its  infancy  modern  music  has  been  af- 
fected by  two  perpetually  warring  factors,  the 
Classical  and  the  Romantic.  The  first  demands 
reverence  for  established  ideals  of  formal 
beauty;  the  second,  striking  a  note  of  revolt, 
compels  recognition  of  new  ideals.  As  in  all 
other  departments  of  art  and  life,  progress  in 
music  comes  through  the  continual  conflict  be- 
tween the  conservative  and  the  radical  forces. 
A  position  viewed  as  hazardous  and  unsuitable 
in  one  age,  becomes  the  accepted  position  of  the 
next,  and  those  who  have  been  denounced  as 
musical  heretics  come  to  be  regarded  as  musical 
heroes.  Very  often  the  untutored  public,  trust- 
ing to  natural  instincts,  will  be  in  advance  of 
the  learned  critic  in  accepting  some  startling 
innovation.  Old  laws  may  pass  away,  new 
laws  may  come,  but  the  eternal  verities  on 
which  all  manifestations  of  Truth  and  Beauty 
are  based  can  never  cease  to  be. 

"The  scientific  laws  of  music  are  transitory, 
because  they  have  been  tentatively  constructed 
during  the  gradual  development  of  the  musical 

KH 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

faculty,"  says  W.  H.  Hadow,  in  his  valuable 
"Studies  in  Modern  Music."  "No  power  in 
man  is  born  at  full  growth ;  it  begins  in  germ, 
and  progresses  according  to  the  particular 
laws  that  condition  its  nature.  Hence  it  re- 
quires one  kind  of  treatment  at  one  stage,  an- 
other at  another,  both  being  perfectly  right  and 
true  in  relation  to  their  proper  period.  But 
there  are  behind  these  special  rules  certain 
psychological  laws  which  seem,  so  far  as  we 
can  understand  them,  to  be  coeval  with  human- 
ity itself;  and  these  form  the  permanent  code 
by  which  music  is  to  be  judged.  The  reason 
why,  in  past  ages,  the  critics  have  been  so  often 
and  so  disastrously  at  fault  is  that  they  have 
mistaken  .the  transitory  for  the  permanent,  the 
rules  of  musical  science  for  the  laws  of  musical 
philosophy." 

An  acquaintance  with  form  as  the  manifes- 
tation of  law  is  essential  to  an  intelligent  hear- 
ing of  music.  The  listener  should  have  at 
least  a  rudimentary  knowledge  of  musical  con- 
struction from  the  simplest  ballad  to  the  most 
complex  symphony.  Having  this  knowledge 

102 


How  to  Listen  to  Music 

it  will  be  possible  to  receive  undisturbed  the 
impressions  music  has  to  give,  and  to  distin- 
guish the  trivial  and  commonplace  from  the 
noble  and  beautiful. 

The  oftener  good  music  is  heard  the  more 
completely  it  will  be  appreciated.  Therefore, 
they  listen  best  to  music  who  hear  the  best 
continually.  The  assertion  is  often  heard  that 
a  person  must  be  educated  up  to  an  enjoyment 
of  high  class  music.  Certainly,  one  who  has 
heard  nothing  else  must  be  educated  down  to 
an  enjoyment  of  ragtime,  with  its  crude 
rhythms. 

"We  know  a  true  poem  to  the  extent  to 
which  our  spirits  respond  to  the  spiritual  ap- 
peal it  makes,"  says  Dr.  Hiram  Corson.  It  is 
the  same  with  a  true  musical  composition.  We 
must  take  something  to  it,  in  order  to  receive 
something  from  it.  Beyond  knowledge  comes 
the  intuitive  feeling  which  is  enriched  by 
knowledge.  Through  it  we  may  feel  the  breath 
of  life,  the  spiritual  appeal,  which  belongs  to 
every  great  work  of  art  and  which  must  for- 
ever remain  inexplicable. 

J03 


VI 

The  Piano  and  Piano  Players 

WHEN  Pythagoras,  Father  of  Musical 
Science,  some  six  centuries  before  our  era, 
marked  and  sounded  musical  intervals  by 
mathematical  division  on  a  string  stretched 
across  a  board,  he  was  unconsciously  laying  the 
foundation  for  our  modern  pianoforte.  How 
soon  keys  were  added  to  the  monochord,  as 
this  measuring  instrument  was  named,  cannot 
positively  be  ascertained.  We  may  safely  as- 
sume it  was  not  slow  in  adopting  the  rude 
keyboard  ascribed  by  tradition  to  Pan  pipes, 
and  applied  to  the  portable  organ  of  early 
Christian  communities. 

After  the  tenth  century  the  development  of 

JOS 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

the  monochord  seems  to  have  begun  in  earnest. 
Two  or  more  strings  of  equal  length  are  now 
divided  and  set  in  motion  by  flat  metal  wedges, 
attached  to  the  key  levers,  and  called  tangents, 
because  they  touched  the  strings.  In  response 
to  the  demand  for  increased  range,  as  many  as 
twenty  keys  were  brought  to  act  on  a  few 
strings,  commanding  often  three  octaves. 
Guido  d'Arezzo,  the  famous  sight-reading 
music  teacher  of  the  eleventh  century,  advised 
his  pupils  to  "exercise  the  hand  in  the  use  of 
the  monochord,"  showing  his  knowledge  of  the 
keyboard.  The  keyed  monochord  gained  the 
name  clavichord.  Its  box-like  case  was  first 
placed  on  a  table,  later  on  its  own  stand,  and  in- 
creased in  elegance.  Not  until  the  eighteenth 
century  was  each  key  provided  with  a  separate 
string. 

No  unimped  triumphal  progress  can  be 
claimed  for  the  various  claviers  or  keyboard 
instruments  that  came  into  use.  Dance  music 
found  in  them  a  congenial  field,  thus  causing 
many  serious-minded  people  to  regard  them  as 
dangerous  tempters  to  vanity  and  folly. 
106 


The  Pia.no  and  Pia^no  Players 

In  the  year  1 529,  Pietro  Bembo,  a  grave  theo- 
retician, wrote  to  his  daughter  Helena,  at  her 
convent  school :  "As  to  your  request  to  be 
allowed  to  learn  the  clavier,  I  answer  that  you 
cannot  yet,  owing  to  your  youth,  understand 
that  playing  is  only  suited  for  volatile,  frivo- 
lous women;  whereas  I  desire  you  to  be  the 
most  lovable  maiden  in  the  world.  Also,  it 
would  bring  you  but  little  pleasure  or  renown 
if  you  should  play  badly;  while  to  play  well 
you  would  be  obliged  to  devote  ten  or  twelve 
years  to  practice,  without  being  able  to  think 
of  anything  else.  Consider  a  moment 
whether  this  would  become  you.  If  your 
friends  wish  you  to  play  in  order  to  give  them 
pleasure,  tell  them  you  do  not  desire  to  make 
yourself  ridiculous  in  their  eyes,  and  be  con- 
tent with  your  books  and  your  domestic  occu- 
pations." 

A  different  view  was  entertained  in  Eng- 
land during  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign,  where 
claviers  were  in  vogue  styled  virginals,  be- 
cause, as  an  ancient  chronicle  explained,  "vir- 
gins do  most  commonly  play  on  them."  The 

107 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

virginal  was  usually  of  oblong  shape,  often  re- 
sembling a  lady's  workbox.  With  the  Virgin 
Queen  it  was  a  prime  favorite,  although  not 
named  expressly  for  her  as  the  flattering  fash- 
ion of  the  time  led  many  to  assume.  If  she 
actually  did  justice  to  some  of  the  airs  with 
variations  in  the  "Queen  Elizabeth  Virginal 
Book,"  she  must  indeed  have  been  proficient 
on  the  instrument.  Quaint  Dr.  Charles  Bur- 
ney  (1726-1814)  declares,  in  his  "History  of 
Music,"  that  no  performer  of  his  day  could 
play  them  without  at  least  a  month's  practice. 
The  clavier  gave  promise  of  its  destined 
career  in  the  Elizabethan  age.  Shakespeare 
immortalized  it,  and  William  Byrd  (1546- 
1623)  became  the  first  clavier  master.  He  and 
Dr.  John  Bull  (1563-1628),  says  Oscar  Bie,  in 
his  great  work  on  "The  Clavier  and  Its  Mas- 
ters," "represent  the  two  types  which  run 
through  the  entire  history  of  the  clavier. 
Byrd  was  the  more  intimate,  delicate,  spiritual 
intellect ;  Bull  the  untamed  genius,  the  brilliant 
executant,  the  less  exquisitely  refined  artist. 
It  is  significant  that  these  two  types  stand  to- 

108 


The  Pia.no  and  Pia.no  Pla,yers 

gether  on  the  threshold  of  clavier  art."  Bull 
had  gained  his  degree  at  Oxford,  the  founding 
of  whose  chair  of  music  is  popularly  attributed 
to  Alfred  the  Great. 

As  early  as  the  year  1400  claviers  had  ap- 
peared whose  strings  were  plucked  by  quills 
attached  to  jacks  at  the  end  of  the  key  levers. 
To  this  group  belonged  the  virginal,  or  vir- 
ginals, the  clavicembalo,  the  harpsichord, 
or  clavecin,  and  the  spinet.  Stops  were  added, 
as  in  the  organ,  that  varied  effects  might  be 
produced,  and  a  second  keyboard  was  often 
placed  above  the  first.  The  case  was  either 
rectangular,  or  followed  the  outlines  of  the 
harp,  a  progenitor  of  this  clavier  type.  It 
was  often  highly  ornamented,  and  handsomely 
mounted.  Each  string  from  the  first  had  its 
due  length  and  was  tuned  to  its  proper  note. 

The  secular  music  principle  of  the  sixteenth 
century  that  called  into  active  being  the  orches- 
tra led  also  to  a  desire  for  richer  musical  ex- 
pression in  home  and  social  life  than  the  fash- 
ionable lute  afforded,  and  the  clavier  advanced 
in  favor.  In  France,  by  1530,  the  dance,  that 

w 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

promoter  of  pure  instrumental  music,  was 
freely  transcribed  for  the  clavier.  Little  more 
than  a  century  later,  Jean  Baptiste  Lully 
O  633- 1 687)  extensively  employed  the  instru- 
ment in  the  orchestration  of  his  operas,  and 
wrote  solo  dances  for  it. 

Franqois  Couperin  (1668-1733),  now  well- 
nigh  forgotten,  although  once  mentioned  in 
the  same  breath  with  Moliere,  wrote  the  pio- 
neer clavier  instruction  book.  In  it  he  di- 
rects scholars  how  to  avoid  a  harsh  tone,  and 
how  to  form  a  legato  style.  He  advises  parents 
to  select  teachers  on  whom  implicit  reliance 
may  be  placed,  and  teachers  to  keep  the  claviers 
of  beginners  under  lock  and  key  that  there  may 
be  no  practicing  without  supervision.  His 
suggestions  deserve  consideration  to-day. 

He  was  the  first  to  encourage  professional 
clavier-playing  among  women.  His  daughter 
Marguerite  was  the  first  woman  appointed  offi- 
cial court  clavier  player.  He  composed  for  the 
clavier  little  picture  tunes,  designed  to  depict 
sentiments,  moods,  phases  of  character  and 
scenes  from  life.  He  fashioned  many  charm- 

no 


The  Pia^no  and  Pia.no  Pla.yers 

ing  turns  of  expression,  introduced  an  occa- 
sional tempo  rubato,  foreshadowed  the  intel- 
lectual element  in  music  and  laid  the  corner- 
stone of  modern  piano-playing.  Jean  Philippe 
Rameau  (1683-1764)  continued  Couperin's 
work. 

What  is  generally  recognized  as  the  first  pe- 
riod of  clavier-virtuosity  begins  with  the  Nea- 
politan Domenico  Scarlatti  (1683-1757),  and 
Johann  Sebastian  Bach  (1685-1750),  the  Ger- 
man of  Germans.  The  style  of  Scarlatti  is  pe- 
culiarly the  product  of  Italian  love  of  beauti- 
ful tone,  and  what  he  wrote,  though  without 
depth  of  motive,  kept  well  in  view  the  technical 
possibilities  of  the  harpsichord.  His  "Cat's 
Fugue,"  and  his  one  movement  sonatas  still  ap- 
pear on  concert  programmes.  In  a  collection 
of  thirty  sonatas  he  explained  his  purpose  in 
these  words :  "Amateur,  or  professor,  who- 
ever thou  art,  seek  not  in  these  compositions 
for  any  profound  feeling.  They  are  only  a 
frolic  of  art,  meant  to  increase  thy  confidence 
in  the  clavier." 

In  Germany,  with  grand  old  Father  Bach, 

III 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

the  keyboard  instrument  was  found  capable  of 
mirroring  a  mighty  soul.  The  germ  of  all 
modern  musical  design  lies  in  his  clavier  writ- 
ings. It  has  been  aptly  said  of  this  master  of 
masters  that  he  constructed  a  great  university 
of  music,  from  which  all  must  graduate  who 
would  accomplish  anything  of  value  in  music. 
Men  of  genius,  from  Mozart  to  the  present 
time,  have  extolled  him  for  the  beauty  of  his 
melodies  and  harmonies,  the  expressiveness  of 
his  modulations,  the  wealth,  spontaneity  and 
logical  clearness  of  his  ideas,  and  the  superb 
architecture  of  his  productions.  Students  miss 
the  soul  of  Bach  because  of  the  soulless,  me- 
chanical way  in  which  they  deface  his  legacy  to 
them. 

His  "Twelve  Little  Preludes"  alone  contain 
the  materials  for  an  entire  system  of  music. 
The  "Inventions,"  too  often  treated  as  dry-as- 
dust  studies,  are.  laden  with  beautiful  figures 
and  devices  that  furnish  inspiration  for  all 
time.  As  indicated  by  their  title,  which  signi- 
fies a  compound  of  appropriate  expression  and 
just  disposition  of  the  members,  they  were  de- 

\\2 


The  Pia.no  and  Pia.no  Pla.yer» 

signed  to  cultivate  the  elements  of  musical 
taste,  as  well  as  freedom  and  equality  of  the 
fingers.  His  "Well  Tempered  Clavichord" 
has  been  called  the  pianist's  Sacred  Book.  Its 
Preludes  and  Fugues  illustrate  every  shade  of 
human  feeling,  and  were  especially  designed  to 
exemplify  the  mode  of  tuning  known  as  equal 
temperament,  introduced  into  general  use  by 
Bach,  and  still  employed  by  your  piano  tuner 
and  mine. 

Forkel,  his  biographer,  has  finely  said  that 
Bach  considered  the  voices  of  his  fugues  a  se- 
lect company  of  persons  conversing  together. 
Each  was  allowed  to  speak  only  when  there 
was  something  to  say  bearing  on  the  subject  in 
hand.  A  highly  characteristic  motive,  or 
theme,  as  significant  as  the  noblest  "typical 
phrase,"  developing  into  equally  characteristic 
progressions  and  cadences,  is  a  striking  fea- 
ture of  the  Bach  fugue.  His  "Suites"  exalted 
forever  the  familiar  dance  tunes  of  the  German 
people.  His  wonderful  "Chromatic  Fantasia 
and  Fugue"  ushered  the  recitative  into  purely 
instrumental  music. 


'  ITor  Every  Music  Lover 

As  a  teacher  he  was  genial,  kind,  encour- 
aging and  in  every  respect  a  model.  He 
obliged  his  pupils  to  write  and  understand  as 
well  as  sound  the  notes.  In  his  noble  modesty 
he  never  held  himself  aloof  as  superior  to 
others.  When  pupils  were  discouraged  he 
reminded  them  how  hard  he  had  always  been 
compelled  to  work,  and  assured  them  that  equal 
industry  would  lead  them  to  success.  He  gave 
the  thumb  its  proper  place  on  the  keyboard, 
and  materially  improved  fingering.  Tranquil- 
lity and  poetic  beauty  being  prime  essentials  of 
his  playing,  he  preferred  to  the  more  brilliant 
harpsichord,  or  spinet,  the  clavichord,  whose 
thrilling,  tremulous  tone,  owing  to  its  construc- 
tion, was  exceedingly  sensitive  to  the  player's 
touch.  The  early  hammer-clavier,  or  piano- 
forte, invented  in  1711,  by  the  Italian  Cristo- 
fori,  who  derived  the  hammer  idea  from  the 
dulcimer,  did  not  attract  him  because  of .  its 
extreme  crudeness.  Nevertheless,  it  was  des- 
tined to  develop  into  the  musical  instrument 
essential  to  the  perfect  interpretation  of  his 
clavier  music. 

U4 


The  Pia.no  and  Pia.no  Pla.yers 

His  son  and  pupil,  Philipp  Emanuel  Bach 
(1714-1788),  proceeding  on  the  principles  es- 
tablished by  his  illustrious  father,  prepared  the 
way  for  the  modern  pianist.  His  important 
theoretical  work,  "The  True  Art  of  Clavier 
Playing,"  was  pronounced  by  Haydn  the 
school  of  schools  for  all  time.  It  was  highly 
extolled  by  Mozart,  and  to  it  Clementi  ascribed 
his  knowledge  and  skill.  In  his  compositions 
he  was  an  active  agent  in  the  crystallization  of 
the  sonata  form.  From  him  Haydn  gained 
much  that  he  later  transferred  to  the  orchestra. 

Impulse  to  the  second  period  of  clavier  vir- 
tuosity was  given  by  Wolfgang  Amadeus  Mo- 
zart (1756-1791)  and  Muzio  Clementi  (1752- 
1832).  Mozart,  who  led  the  Viennese  school, 
developed  the  singing  style  of  playing  and  the 
smooth  flowing  legato.  Leaving  behind  him 
the  triumphs  of  his  wonder-boyhood  with 
spinet  and  harpsichord,  he  boldly  entered  the 
public  concert-hall  with  the  pianoforte,  now 
greatly  advanced  by  the  improvements  of  Sil- 
bermann.  Mozart  brought  into  use  its  special 
features,  showed  its  capacity  for  tone-shading 

U5 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

and  for  the  reflection  of  sentiment,  and  may 
well  be  said  to  have  launched  it  on  its  career. 
Tradition  declares  that  his  hand  was  fashioned 
for  clavier  keys,  and  that  its  graceful  move- 
ments afforded  the  eye  no  less  pleasure  than  the 
ear.  His  noble  technique,  based  on  his  pro- 
found study  of  the  Bachs,  was  spiritualized  by 
his  own  glowing  fancy.  In  his  playing,  as  in 
his  compositions,  every  note  was  a  pearl  of 
great  price.  With  his  piano  concertos  he 
showed  how  clavier  and  orchestra  may  con- 
verse earnestly  together  without  either  having 
its  individuality  marred.  The  same  equilib- 
rium is  maintained  in  his  piano  and  violin 
sonatas  and  his  other  concerted  chamber  music, 
amid  all  their  persuasive  and  eloquent  discourse. 
His  charming  four-hand  and  double  piano 
pieces,  written  for  himself  and  his  gifted  sister 
Marianne,  and  his  solo  clavier  sonatas  would 
prove  his  wealth  of  musical  invention  had  he 
not  written  another  note. 

Clementi,  born  in  Rome,  passed  most  of  his 
life  in  London,  where  he  attracted  many  pupils. 
Without  great  creative  genius,  he  occupied 

116 


The  Pie^nc  and  Pia.no  Players 

himself  chiefly  with  the  technical  problems  of 
the  pianoforte.  He  opened  the  way  for  the 
sonority  of  tone  and  imposing  diction  of  the 
modern  style.  His  music  abounded  in  bold, 
brilliant  passages  of  single  and  double  notes. 
He  is  even  credited  with  having  trilled  in 
octaves  with  one  hand.  Taking  upon  himself 
the  management  of  an  English  piano  factory, 
he  extended  the  keyboard,  in  1793,  to  five  and 
a  half  octaves.  Seven  octaves  were  not 
reached  until  1851.  His  "Gradus  ad  Parnas- 
sum"  became  the  parent  of  Etude  literature. 
Carl  Tausig  said :  "There  is  but  one  god  in 
technique,  Bach,  and  dementi  is  his  prophet." 
Losing  the  spirituality  of  a  Mozart  the 
Viennese  school  was  destined  to  degenerate 
into  empty  bravura  playing.  Before  its  down- 
fall it  produced  a  Hummel,  a  Moscheles  and  a 
Czerny,  each  of  whom  left  in  their  piano 
studies  a  valuable  bequest  to  technique.  Karl 
Czerny  (1791-1857),  called  king  of  piano 
teachers,  numbered  among  his  pupils,  Liszt, 
Doehler,  Thalberg  and  Jaell.  The  Clementi 
school  was  continued  in  that  familiar  writer  of 

117 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Etudes,  Johann  Baptist  Cramer  (1771-1858), 
and  began  to  show  respect  for  the  damper 
pedal.  Its  most  eminent  virtuoso  was  John 
Field  (1782-1837)  of  Dublin. 

Between  these  two  schools  stood  Ludwig 
von  Beethoven  (1770-1827),  a  giant  on  lofty 
heights.  Every  accent  of  his  dramatic  music 
was  embodied  in  his  piano  compositions. 
Tones  furnished  him  unmistakably  a  language 
that  needed  no  commentary.  "In  him,"  says 
Oscar  Bie,  "there  were  no  tricks  of  technique  to 
be  admired,  no  mere  virtuosity  to  praise ;  but 
he  stirred  his  hearers  to  the  depths  of  their 
hearts.  Amid  his  storm  and  stress,  whisper- 
ing and  listening,  his  awakening  of  the  soul,  an 
original  naturalism  of  piano-playing  was 
recognized,  side  by  side  with  the  naturalism  of 
his  creative  art.  Rhythm  was  the  life  of  his 
playing."  A  union  of  conception  and  tech- 
nique was  a  high  aim  of  Beethoven,  and  he 
prized  the  latter  only  as  it  fulfilled  the  require- 
ments of  his  idealism.  "The  high  develop- 
ment of  the  mechanical  in  pianoforte  playing," 
he  wrote  to  a  friend,  "will  end  in  banishing  all 

U8 


LILIAN    XORDICA 


118 


The  Pia.no  and  Pia.no  Pla.yers 

genuine  emotion  from  music."  His  prophetic 
words  might  serve  as  a  warning  to-day. 

The  past  century  has  given  us  the  golden 
age  of  the  pianoforte.  Advanced  knowledge 
of  acoustics  and  improved  methods  of  con- 
struction have  made  it  the  magnificent  instru- 
ment we  know  in  concert  hall  and  home,  and  to 
which  we  now  apply  the  more  intimate  name, 
piano.  Oscar  Bie  calls  it  the  music  teacher  of 
all  mankind  that  has  become  great  with  the 
growth  of  modern  music.  As  a  photograph 
may  convey  to  the  home  an  excellent  concep- 
tion of  a  master  painting  in  some  distant  art 
gallery,  so  the  piano,  in  addition  to  the  musical 
creations  it  has  inspired,  may  present  to  the  do- 
mestic circle  intelligent  reproductions  of 
mighty  choral,  operatic  and  instrumental 
works.  Through  its  medium  the  broad  field 
of  musical  history  and  literature  may  be  sur- 
veyed in  private  with  profit  and  pleasure. 

Piano  composers  and  virtuosos  rapidly  in- 
crease. Carl  Maria  von  Weber  (1786-1826) 
stood  on  the  threshold  of  the  fairyland  of  ro- 
mance. His  scheme  of  a  dialogue,  in  the  open- 

119 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

ing  adagio  of  his  "Invitation  to  the  Dance," 
followed  by  an  entrancing  waltz  and  a  grave 
concluding  dialogue,  betokens  what  he  might 
have  accomplished  for  the  piano  had  he  lived 
longer.  Franz  Schubert  (1797-1828)  and 
Robert  Schumann  (1810-1856)  were  the  evan- 
gelists par  excellence  of  the  new  romantic 
school.  Schubert,  closely  allied  in  spirit  to  the 
master-builder,  Beethoven,  was  unsurpassed  in 
the  refinement  of  his  musical  sentiment.  The 
melody  flooding  his  soul  beautified  his  piano 
compositions,  to  which  only  a  delicate  touch 
may  do  justice.  His  Impromptus  and  Mo- 
ments Musical,  small  impressionist  pieces,  in 
which  isolated  musical  ideas  are  clothed  in 
brief  artistic  forms  adapted  to  the  timbre  of  the 
instrument,  may  well  be  thought  to  have  placed 
piano  literature  on  a  new  basis. 

The  romantic  temperament  of  Robert  Schu- 
mann was  nurtured  on  German  romantic  liter- 
ature and  music.  His  impressions  of  nature, 
life  and  literature  he  imprisoned  in  tones.  He 
was  a  profound  student  of  Bach,  to  whom  he 
traced  "the  power  of  combination,  poetry  and 

J20 


The  Pia.no  and  Pia.no  Pla.yers 

humor  in  the  new  music."  Infusing  his  own 
vital  emotions  into  polyphonic  forms  he  gave 
the  piano  far  grander  tone-pictures  than  those 
of  Couperin.  The  dreamy  fervor  and  the 
glowing  fire  of  an  impassioned  nature  may  be 
felt  in  his  works,  but  also  many  times  the  lack 
of  balance  that  belongs  with  the  malady  by 
which  he  was  assailed. 

His  love  of  music  became  early  interwoven 
with  love  for  Clara,  the  gifted  daughter  and 
pupil  of  his  teacher,  Friedrich  Wieck.  To  her 
he  dedicated  his  creative  power.  An  attempt  to 
gain  flexibility  by  means  of  a  mechanical  con- 
trivance having  lamed  his  fingers,  he  turned 
from  a  pianist's  career  to  composition  and  mu- 
sical criticism.  In  becoming  his  wife  Clara 
gave  him  both  hands  in  more  senses  than  one, 
and  they  shone  together  as  a  double  star  in  the 
art  firmament.  Madame  Schumann  had  ac- 
quired a  splendid  foundation  for  her  career 
through  the  wise  guidance  of  her  father,  whose 
pedagogic  ideas  every  piano  student  might  con- 
sider with  profit.  Her  playing  was  distin- 
guished by  its  musicianly  intelligence  and 

\2\ 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

fine  artistic  feeling.  Earnest  simplicity  sur- 
rounded her  public  and  her  private  life,  and  the 
element  of  personal  display  was  wholly  foreign 
to  her.  She  was  the  ideal  woman,  artist  and 
teacher  who  remained  in  active  service  until  a 
short  time  before  her  death,  in  1896. 

Those  were  charmed  days  in  Leipsic  when 
the  Schumanns  and  Mendelssohn  formed  the 
centre  of  an  enthusiastic  circle  of  musicians, 
and  created  a  far-reaching  musical  atmosphere. 
Felix  Mendelssohn  (1809-1847),  in  his  work 
for  the  piano,  adapted  to  drawing-room  use 
technical  devices  of  his  day,  and  in  his  "Songs 
without  Words"  gave  a  decisive  short-story 
form  to  piano  literature.  His  playing  is  de- 
scribed as  possessing  an  organ  firmness  of 
touch  without  organ  ponderosity,  and  having 
an  expression  that  moved  deeply  without  intox- 
icating. Living  in  genial  surroundings,  he 
was  never  forced  to  struggle,  and  although  he 
climbed  through  flowery  paths,  he  never 
reached  the  goal  he  longed  for  until  his  heart 
broke. 

Delicate,  sensitive,  fastidious,  Frederic  Cho- 

122 


The  Pia.no  and  Pia.no  Pla,yers 

pin  (1809-1849)  delivered  his  musical  mes- 
sage with  persuasive  eloquence  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  piano.  It  was  his  chosen  comrade. 
With  it  he  exchanged  the  most  subtle  confi- 
dences. Gaining  a  profound  knowledge  of  its 
resources  he  raised  it  to  an  independent  power. 
Polish  patriotism  steeped  in  Parisian  elegance 
shaped  his  genius,  and  his  compositions  por- 
tray the  emotions  of  his  people  in  exquisitely 
polished  tonal  language.  Spontaneous  as  was 
his  creative  power  he  was  most  painstaking 
in  regard  to  the  setting  of  his  musical  ideas  and 
would  often  devote  weeks  to  re-writing  a  single 
page  that  every  detail  might  be  perfect.  The 
best  that  was  in  him  he  gave  to  music  and  to 
the  piano.  He  enlarged  the  musical  vocabu- 
lary, he  re-created  and  enriched  technique  and 
diction,  and  to  him  the  musician  of  to-day  owes 
a  debt  that  should  never  be  forgotten.  "He  is 
of  the  race  of  eagles,"  said  his  teacher,  Eisner. 
"Let  all  who  aspire  follow  him  in  his  flights 
toward  regions  sublime." 

The  man  who,  by  his  demands  on  the  piano, 
induced  improvements  in  its  manufacture  that 

J23 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

materially  increased  its  sonority  and  made  it 
available  for  the  modern  idea,  was  Franz  Liszt 
(1811-1886).  He  will  always  be  remembered 
as  the  creator  of  orchestral  piano-playing  and 
of  the  symphonic  poem.  The  impetuous 
rhythms  and  unfathomable  mysteries  of  Mag- 
yar and  gipsy  life  surrounding  him  in  Hun- 
gary, the  land  of  his  birth,  strongly  influenced 
the  shaping  of  his  genius.  Like  the  wander- 
ing children  of  nature  who  had  filled  the  dreams 
of  his  childhood,  he  became  a  wanderer  and 
marched  a  conqueror,  radiant  with  triumphs, 
through  the  musical  world.  Chopin,  who 
shrank  from  concert-playing,  once  said  to  him : 
"You  are  destined  for  it.  You  have  the  force 
to  overwhelm,  control,  compel  the  public." 

The  bewitching  tones  of  the  gipsy  violinist, 
Binary,  had  fallen  on  his  boyish  ears  "like 
drops  of  some  fiery,  volatile  essence,"  stimu- 
lating him  to  effort.  On  the  threshold  of  man- 
hood he  was  inspired  to  apply  the  methods  of 
Paganini  to  the  piano.  All  his  early  realistic 
and  revolutionary  ideas  found  vent  in  his 
pianistic  achievements.  He  gained  marvelous 

J24 


The  Pia.no  and  Pia.no  Players 

fulness  of  chord  power,  great  dynamic  variety, 
and  numerous  unexpected  solutions  of  the  tone 
problem.  Many  technical  means  of  expression 
were  invented  by  him,  and  a  wholly  new  finger- 
ing was  required  for  his  purposes..  He  taught 
the  use  of  a  loose  wrist,  absolute  independence 
of  the  fingers  and  a  new  manipulation  of  the 
pedals.  To  carry  out  his  designs  the  third  or 
sustaining  pedal  became  necessary.  His  high- 
est ambition,  in  his  own  words,  was  "to  leave 
to  piano  players  the  foot-prints  of  attained  ad- 
vance." In  1839  he  ventured  on  the  first  pure 
piano  recital  ever  given  in  the  concert  hall.  His 
.'•cries  of  performances  in  this  line,  covering  the 
entire  range  of  piano  literature,  in  addition  to 
his  own  compositions,  given  entirely  without 
notes,  led  the  public  to  expect  playing  by  heart 
from  all  other  artists. 

As  a  great  pianist,  a  composer  of  original 
conceptions,  a  magnetic  conductor,  an  influen- 
tial teacher,  an  intelligent  writer  on  musical 
subjects  and  a  devoted  promoter  of  the  inter- 
ests of  art,  he  stands  out  in  bold  relief,  one  of 
the  grand  figures  in  the  history  of  music.  His 

125 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

piano  paraphrases  and  transcriptions  are  poetic 
re-settings  of  tone-creations  he  had  thoroughly 
assimilated  and  made  his  own.  In  his  original 
works,  which  Saint-Saens  was  perhaps  the  first 
to  appreciate,  students  are  now  beginning  to 
discover  the  ripe  fruits  of  his  genius.  Faith- 
ful ones  among  the  pupils  who  flocked  about 
him  in  classic  Weimar  spread  wide  his  influ- 
ence, but  also  much  harm  was  done  in  his  name 
by  charlatans  who,  calling  themselves  Liszt  pu- 
pils, cast  broadcast  the  fallacy  that  piano 
pounding  was  genuine  pianistic  power. 

Large  hearted,  liberal  minded,  whole  souled 
in  his  devotion  to  his  art  and  its  true  interests, 
Franz  Liszt  seemed  wholly  without  personal 
jealousies,  and  befriended  and  brought  into 
public  notice  a  large  number  of  artists.  Hec- 
tor Berlioz  declared  that  to  him  belonged  "the 
sincere  admiration  of  earnest  minds,  as  well  as 
the  involuntary  homage  of  the  envious."  At 
the  opening  of  the  Bairenth  Temple  of  German 
Art,  in  1876,  Richard  Wagner  paid  him  this 
tribute  in  the  midst  of  a  joyful  company : 
"Here  is  one  who  first  gave  me  faith  in  my 

\26 


work  when  no  one  knew  anything  oxf  me.  But 
for  him,  my  dear  friend,  Franz  Liszt,  you 
might  not  have  had  a  note  from  me  to-day." 

A  rival  of  Liszt  in  the  concert  field,  espe- 
cially before  a  Parisian  public,  was  Sigismund 
Thalberg  (1812-1871),  who  visited  this  coun- 
try in  1855  and  literally  popularized  the  piano 
in  America.  Alfred  Jaell  and  Henri  Herz,  who 
had  preceded  him,  doubtless  prepared  the  way 
for  his  triumphs.  He  and  the  "Creole  Cho- 
pin," Louis  Moreau  Gottschalk,  attracted  much 
attention  by  several  joint  appearances  in  our 
musical  centres  of  the  time.  Thalberg  was  a 
pupil  of  Hummel,  and  felt  the  influence  of  his 
teacher's  cold,  severely  classic  style.  He  pos- 
sessed a  well-trained,  fascinating  mechanism, 
with  scales,  chords,  arpeggios  and  octaves  that 
were  marvels  of  neatness  and  accuracy,  and  a 
tone  that  was  mellow  and  liquid,  though  lack- 
ing in  warmth.  His  operatic  transcriptions, 
in  which  a  central  melody  is  enfolded  in  ara- 
besques, chords  and  running  passages,  have 
long  since  become  antiquated,  but  his  art  of 

J27 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Dinging  on  the  piano  and  many  of  his  original 
studies  still  remain  valuable  to  the  pianist. 

When  Liszt  and  Thalberg  were  in  posses- 
sion of  the  concert  platform,  they  occupied  the 
attention  of  cartoonists  as  fully  as  Paderewski 
at  a  later  date.  Liszt,  his  hair  floating  wildly, 
was  represented  as  darting  through  the  air  on 
wide-stretched  pinions  with  keyboards  attached 
— a  play  on  Fliigel,  the  German  for  grand 
piano.  Thalberg,  owing  to  his  dignified  re- 
pose, was  caricatured  as  posing  in  a  stiff,  rigid 
manner  before  a  box  of  keys. 

Rubinstein  and  Von  Bulow  offer  two  more 
contrasting  personalities.  Anton  Rubinstein 
(1830-1894)  was  the  impressionist,  the  sub- 
jective artist,  who  re-created  every  composi- 
tion he  played.  The  Russian  tone-colorist  he 
has  been  called,  and  the  warmth  and  glow  with 
which  he  invested  every  nuance  can  never  be 
forgotten  by  those  who  were  privileged  to  hear 
his  Titanic  interpretations,  over  whose  very 
blemishes  was  cast  the  glamor  of  the  impas- 
sioned temperament  that  caused  them.  "May 
Heaven  forgive  me  for  every  wrong  note  I 

128 


The  Pia.no  and  Pia.no  Players 

have  struck!"  he  exclaimed  to  a  youthful  ad- 
mirer after  one  of  his  concerts  in  this  country 
during  the  season  of  1872-3.  Certainly  the 
listener  under  the  spell  of  his  magnetism  could 
forgive,  almost  forget.  Hans  von  Biilow 
(1830-1894)  was  the  objective  artist,  whose 
scholarly  attainments  and  musicianly  discern- 
ment unraveled  the  most  tangled  web  of  phras- 
ing and  interpretation.  His  Beethoven  re- 
citals, when  he  was  in  America  in  1875-6,  were 
of  especial  value  to  piano  students.  As  a  piano 
virtuoso,  a  teacher,  a  conductor  and  an  editor 
of  musical  works,  he  was  a  marked  educational 
factor  in  music. 

In  his  youth  Johannes  Brahms  (1833-1897), 
the  great  apostle  of  modern  intellectual  music, 
made  his  debut  before  the  musical  world  as  a 
brilliant  and  versatile  pianist.  Once,  when 
about  to  play  in  public  Beethoven's  magnificent 
Kreutzer  Sonata,  with  Remenyi,  who  was  the 
first  to  recognize  his  genius,  he  discovered  that 
the  piano  was  half  a  tone  below  concert  pitch, 
and  rather  than  spoil  the  effect  by  having  the 
violin  tuned  down,  the  boy  of  nineteen  unhesi- 

129 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

tatingly  transposed  the  piano  part  which  he 
was  playing  from  memory  into  a  higher  key. 
The  fire,  energy  and  breadth  of  his  rendering, 
together  with  the  splendid  musicianship  dis- 
played by  this  feat,  deeply  impressed  the  great 
violinist  Joachim,  who  was  present,  and  who 
became  enthusiastic  in  his  praise.  Schumann, 
on  making  his  acquaintance,  proclaimed  the  ad- 
vent of  a  genius  who  wrote  music  in  which  the 
spirit  of  the  age  found  its  consummation,  and 
who,  at  the  piano,  unveiled  wonders.  By  oth- 
ers he  has  been  called  the  greatest  contra- 
puntist after  Bach,  the  greatest  architectonist 
after  Beethoven,  the  man  of  creative  power 
who  assimilated  the  older  forms  and  invested 
them  with  a  new  life  entirely  his  own.  His 
piano  works  are  a  rich  addition  to  the  pian- 
ist's store,  but  whoever  would  unveil  their 
beautiful  proportions,  all  aglow  as  they  are 
with  sacred  fire,  must  have  taken  a  master's  de- 
gree. 

Two  pupils  of  Liszt  stand  out  prominently 
— Carl  Tausig  (1841-1871)  and  Eugene 
D' Albert  (1864-  — ).  The  first  was  dis- 

130 


The  Pia-no  and  Pia.no  Players 

tinguished  by  his  extraordinary  sense  for  style, 
and  was  thought  to  surpass  his  master  in  abso- 
lute (lawlessness  of  technique.  To  the  second 
Oscar  Bie  attributes  the  crown  of  piano  play- 
ing in  our  time.  Peter  Iljitch  Tscha'ikowsky 
(1840-1893),  the  distinguished  representative 
of  the  modern  Russian  school,  was  an  orig- 
inal, dramatic  and  fertile  composer  and  wrote 
for  the  piano  some  of  his  highly  colored  and 
very  characteristic  music.  Edward  Grieg 
(1843-  — ),  the  national  tone-poet  of  Nor- 
way, has  given  the  piano  some  of  his  most  de- 
lightful efforts,  fresh  with  the  breezes  of  the 
North. 

The  veteran  French  composer,  Charles  Ca- 
mille  Saint-Saens  (1835-  — ),  has  won  great 
renown  as  a  pianist,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
precocious  children  on  record,  having  begun  the 
study  of  the  piano  when  under  three  years  of 
age.  He  was  the  teacher  that  knew  how  to  de- 
velop the  individuality  of  the  young  Russian, 
Leopold  Godowsky,  who  has  done  such  re- 
markable work  on  two  continents,  as  a  teacher 
and  piano  virtuoso. 

J3J 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Perhaps  the  most  famous  piano  teacher  of 
recent  times  is  Theodore  Leschetitzky,  of  Vi- 
enna. His  method  is  that  of  common  sense, 
based  on  keen  analytical  faculties,  and  he  never 
trains  the  hand  apart  irom  the  musical  sense. 
His  most  renowned  pupil  is  Ignace  Jan  Pade- 
rewski,  the  magnetic  Pole,  whose  exquisite 
touch  and  tone  long  made  him  the  idol  of  the 
concert  room,  and  who,  with  time,  has  gained 
in  robustness,  but  also  in  recklessness  of  style. 
Another  gifted  pupil  of  the  Viennese  master  is 
Fannie  Bloomfield  Zeisler,  of  Chicago,  an  art- 
iste of  rare  temperament,  musical  feeling  and 
nervous  power,  of  whom  Dr.  Hanslick  said 
that  her  virtuosity  was  stupendous,  her  deli- 
cacy in  the  finest  florid  work  as  marvelous  as 
her  fascinating  energy  in  the  forte  passages. 

The  great  tidal  wave  set  in  motion  by  the 
piano  has  swept  over  the  civilized  world,  car- 
rying with  it  hosts  of  accomplished  pianists. 
Of  some  of  those  who  are  familiar  figures  in 
our  musical  centres  it  has  been  said  that  Teresa 
Carrefio  learned  from  Rubinstein  the  art  of 
piano  necromancy;  that  Rosenthal  is  an  amaz- 

J32 


The  Pia.no  and  Pia.no  Players 

ing  technician  whose  interpretations  lack  ten- 
derness ;  that  De  Pachmann  is  on  terms  of  inti- 
macy with  Chopin,  and  that  Rafael  Joseffy, 
the  disciple  of  Tausig,  combines  all  that  is  best 
in  the  others  with  striking  methods  of  his  own. 
Great  is  the  piano,  splendid  its  literature, 
many  its  earnest  students,  numerous  its  worthy 
exponents.  That  it  is  so  often  made  a  means 
of  empty  show  is  not  the  fault  of  the  piano,  it  is 
due  to  a  tendency  of  the  day  that  calls  for  su- 
perficial glamor.  Herbert  Spencer  was  not  so 
wrong  as  some  of  the  critics  seem  to  think 
when,  in  his  last  volume,  he  said  that  teachers 
of  music  and  music  performers  were  often  cor- 
rupters  of  music.  Those  certainly  are  cor- 
rupters  of  music  who  use  the  piano  solely  for 
meaningless  technical  feats. 


133 


VII 

The  Poetry  a.nd  Leadership  of 
Chopin 

"THE  piano  bard,  the  piano  rhapsodist,  the 
piano  mind,  the  piano  soul  is  Chopin,"  said 
Rubinstein.  "Tragic,  romantic,  lyric,  heroic, 
dramatic,  fantastic,  soulful,  sweet,  dreamy, 
brilliant,  grand,  simple,  all  possible  expres- 
sions are  found  in  his  compositions  and  all  are 
sung  by  him  on  his  instrument." 

In  these  few,  bold  strokes  one  who  knew  him 
by  virtue  of  close  art  and  race  kinship,  presents 
an  incomparable  outline  sketch  of  the  Polish 
tone-poet  who  explored  the  harmonic  vast- 
ness  of  the  pianoforte  and  made  his  own  all 
its  mystic  secrets. 

135 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Born  and  bred  on  Poland's  soil,  son  of  a 
French  father  and  a  Polish  mother,  Frederic 
Chopin  (1809-1849)  combined  within  himself 
two  natures,  each  complementing  the  other, 
both  uniting  to  form  a  personality  not  under- 
stood by  every  casual  observer.  He  is  de- 
scribed as  kind,  courteous,  possessed  of  the 
most  captivating  grace  and  ease  of  manner, 
now  inclined  to  languorous  melancholy,  now 
scintillating  with  a  joyous  vivacity  that  was 
contagious.  His  sensitive  nature,  like  the 
most  exquisitely  constructed  sounding-board, 
vibrated  with  the  despairing  sadness,  the  sup- 
pressed wrath,  and  the  sublime  fortitude  of  the 
brave,  haughty,  unhappy  people  he  loved,  and 
with  his  own  homesickness  when  afar  from  his 
cherished  native  land. 

Patriot  and  tone-poet  in  every  fibre  of  his 
being,  his  genius  inevitably  claimed  as  its  own 
the  soul's  divinest  language,  pure  music,  unfet- 
tered by  words.  The  profound  reserve  of  his 
nature  made  it  peculiarly  agreeable  to  him  to 
gratify  the  haunting  demands  of  his  lyric 
muse  through  the  medium  of  the  one  musical 

136 


Poetry  a.nd  Leadership  of  Chopin 

instrument  that  lends  itself  in  privacy  to  the 
exploitation  of  all  the  mysteries  of  harmony. 
Strong  conviction  in  regard  to  his  own  calling 
and  clear  perception  of  the  hidden  powers  and 
future  mission  of  the  piano  early  compelled 
him  to  consecrate  to  it  his  unfaltering  devo- 
tion. He  evolved  from  its  more  intimate  do- 
main effects  in  sympathy  with  those  of  the  or- 
chestra, yet  purely  individual.  He  enriched  it 
with  new  melodic,  harmonic  and  rhythmic  de- 
vices adapted  to  itself  alone,  and  endowed  it 
with  a  warmth  of  tone-coloring  that  spiritual- 
ized it  for  all  time. 

To  the  piano  he  confided  all  the  conflicts  that 
raged  within  him,  all  the  courage  and  living 
hope  that  sustained  him.  In  giving  tonal  form 
to  the  deep  things  of  the  soul,  which  are  uni- 
versal in  their  essence  and  application,  he  em- 
bodied universal  rather  than  merely  individual 
emotional  experiences,  and  thus  unbared  what 
was  most  sacred  to  himself  without  jarring  on 
the  innate  reticence  which  made  purely  per- 
sonal confidences  impossible.  Although  his 
mode  of  expression  was  peculiarly  his  own,  he 

137 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

had  received  a  strong  impulse  from  the  popu- 
lar music  of  Poland.  As  a  child  he  had  be- 
come familiar  with  the  folk-songs  and  dances 
heard  in  the  harvest-fields  and  at  market  and 
village  festivals.  They  were  his  earliest  mod- 
els ;  on  them  were  builded  his  first  themes.  As 
Bach  glorified  the  melodies  of  the  German  peo- 
ple, so  Chopin  glorified  those  of  the  Poles. 
The  national  tonality  became  to  him  a  vehicle 
to  be  freighted  with  his  own  individual  con- 
ceptions. 

"I  should  like  to  be  to  my  people  what 
Uhland  was  to  the  Germans,"  he  once  said  to 
a  friend.  He  addressed  himself  to  the  heart  of 
this  people  and  immortalized  its  joys,  sorrows 
and  caprices  by  the  force  of  his  splendid  art. 
Those  who  have  attempted  to  interpret  him  as 
the  sentimental  hero  of  minor  moods,  the  tone- 
poet  in  whom  the  weakness  of  despair  pre- 
dominates, have  missed  the  leaping  flames,  the 
vivid  intensity  and  the  heroic  manliness  per- 
meated with  genuine  love  of  beauty  that  ani- 
mated him.  True  art  softens  the  harshest  ac- 
cents of  suffering  by  placing  superior  to  it 

J38 


Poetry  a.nd  Leadership  of  Chopin 

some  elevating  idea.  So  in  the  most  melan- 
choly strains  of  his  music  one  who  heeds  well 
may  detect  the  presence  of  a  lofty  ideal  that 
uplifts  and  strengthens  the  travailing  soul.  It 
has  been  said  of  him  that  he  had  a  sad  heart 
but  a  joyful  mind. 

The  two  teachers  of  Chopin  were  Adalbert 
Zvvyny,  a  Bohemian  violinist,  who  taught  the 
piano,  and  Joseph  Eisner,  a  violinist,  organist 
and  theorist.  "From  Zwyny  and  Eisner  even 
the  greatest  dunce  must  learn  something,"  he  is 
quoted  as  saying.  Neither  of  these  men  at- 
tempted to  hamper  his  free  growth  by  rigid 
technical  restraints.  Their  guidance  left  him 
master  of  his  own  genius,  at  liberty  to  "soar 
like  the  lark  into  the  ethereal  blue  of  the  skies." 
He  respected  them  both.  A  revering  affec- 
tion was  cherished  by  him  for  Eisner,  to  whom 
he  owed  his  sense  of  personal  responsibility  to 
his  art,  his  habits  of  serious  study  and  his  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  Bach. 

There  is  food  for  thought  in  the  fact  that 
this  Prince  Charming  of  the  piano,  whose 
magic  touch  awakened  the  Sleeping  Beauty  of 

139 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

the  instrument  of  wood  and  wires,  never  had  a 
lesson  in  his  life  from  a  mere  piano  specialist. 
Liszt  once  said  Chopin  was  the  only  pianist  he 
ever  knew  that  could  play  the  violin  on  the 
piano.  If  he  could  do  so  it  was  because  he  had 
harkened  to  the  voice  of  the  violin  and  re- 
solved to  show  that  the  piano,  too,  could  pro- 
duce thrilling  effects.  In  the  same  way  he  had 
listened  to  the  human  voice,  and  determined 
that  the  song  of  his  own  instrument  should  be 
heard.  Those  who  give  ear  to  the  piano  alone 
will  never  learn  the  secret  of  calling  forth  its 
supreme  eloquence. 

We  can  see  and  hear  this  "Raphael  of 
Music"  at  the  piano,  so  many  and  so  eloquent 
have  been  the  descriptions  given  of  his  playing. 
It  is  easy  to  fancy  him  sweeping  the  ivory 
keys  with  his  gossamer  touch  that  enveloped 
with  ethereal  beauty  the  most  unaccustomed  of 
his  complicated  chromatic  modulations.  We 
can  feel  his  individuality  pulsating  through 
every  tone  evoked  by  those  individualized 
fingers  of  his  as  they  weave  measures  for 
sylphs  of  dreamland,  or  summon  to  warfare 

140 


Poetry  o.nd  Leadership  of  Chopin 

heroes  of  the  ideal  world.  We  are  entranced 
by  his  luxuriant  tone-coloring,  induced  to  a 
large  extent  by  his  original  management  of  the 
pedals.  We  marvel  at  his  softly  whispered, 
yet  ever  clearly  distinct  pianissimo,  at  the  full, 
round  tone  of  its  relative  fortissimo,  that  was 
never  harsh  or  noisy,  and  at  all  the  exquisitely 
graded  nuances  that  lay  between,  with  those 
time  fluctuations  expressive  of  the  ebb  and  flow 
of  his  poetic  inner  being.  No  wonder  Balzac 
maintained  that  if  Chopin  should  but  drum  on 
the  table  his  fingers  would  evoke  subtle-sound- 
ing music. 

And  what  an  example  he  has  left  for  teach- 
ers. Delicately  strung  as  he  was,  he  must 
often  have  endured  tortures  from  the  best  of 
his  pupils,  but  so  thoroughly  was  he  conse- 
crated to  his  art  that  he  never  faltered  in  his 
efforts  to  lift  those  who  confided  in  him  to  the 
aerial  heights  he  had  found.  A  vivid  picture 
of  his  method  of  teaching  is  given  in  the  lec- 
tures on  "Frederic  Chopin's  Works  and  Their 
Proper  Interpretation,"  by  the  Pole,  Jean 
Kleczynski. 

J4J 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

The  basis  of  this  method  consisted  in  refine- 
ment of  touch,  for  the  attainment  of  which  a 
natural,  easy  position  of  the  hand  was  con- 
sidered by  Chopin  a  prime  requisite.  He  pre- 
pared each  hand  with  infinite  care  before  per- 
mitting any  attempt  at  the  reproduction  of 
musical  ideas.  In  order  to  place  it  to  advan- 
tage he  caused  it  to  be  thrown  lightly  on  the 
keyboard  so  that  the  five  fingers  rested  on  the 
notes  E,  F  sharp,  G  sharp,  A  sharp  and  B,  and 
without  change  of  position  required  the  prac- 
tice of  exercises  calculated  to  insure  independ- 
ence. The  pupil  was  instructed  to  go  through 
these  exercises  first  staccato,  effected  by  a  free 
movement  of  the  wrist,  an  admirable  means  of 
counteracting  heaviness  and  clumsiness,  then 
legato-staccato,  then  accented  legato,  then  pure 
legato,  modifying  the  power  from  pp  to  ff, 
and  the  movement  from  andante  to  prestis- 
simo. 

He  was  exceedingly  particular  about  arpeg- 
gio work,  and  insisted  upon  the  repetition  of 
every  note  and  passage  until  all  harshness  and 
roughness  of  tone  were  eliminated.  "Is  that 

142 


Poetry  a.nd  Leadership  of  Chopin 

a  dog  barking?"  he  was  known  to  exclaim  to 
an  unlucky  pupil  whose  attack  in  the  opening 
arpeggio  of  a  Clementi  study  lacked  the  desired 
quality.  A  very  independent  use  of  the  thumb 
was  prescribed  by  him.  He  never  hesitated 
about  placing  it  on  a  black  key  when  conven- 
ient, and  had  it  passed  by  muscle  action  alone 
in  scales  and  broken  chords  whose  zealous 
practice  in  different  forms  of  touch,  accent, 
rhythm  and  tone  were  demanded  by  him. 

Individualization  of  the  fingers  was  one  of 
his  strong  points,  and  he  believed  in  assigning 
to  each  of  them  its  appropriate  part.  "In  a 
good  mechanism,"  he  said,  "the  aim  is  not  to 
play  everything  with  an  equal  sound,  but  to  ac- 
quire beautiful  quality  of  touch  and  perfect 
shading."  Of  prime  importance  in  his  eyes 
was  a  clear,  elastic,  singing  tone,  one  whose 
exquisite  delicacy  could  never  be  confounded 
with  feebleness.  Every  dynamic  nuance  he 
exacted  of  fingers  that  fell  with  freedom  and 
elasticity  on  the  keys,  and  he  knew  how  to  aug- 
ment the  warmth  and  richness  of  tone-coloring 
by  setting  in  vibration  sympathetic  harmonics 

J43 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

of  the  principal  notes  through  judicious  em- 
ployment of  the  damper  pedal. 

By  precept  and  example  he  advocated  fre- 
quent playing  of  the  preludes  and  fugues  of 
Bach  as  a  means  of  cultivating  musical  intelli- 
gence, muscular  independence  and  touch  and 
tone  discrimination.  His  musical  heroes  were 
Bach  and  Mozart,  for  they  represented  to  him 
nature,  strong  individuality  and  poetry  in 
music.  At  one  time  he  undertook  to  write  a 
method  or  school  of  piano-playing,  but  never 
progressed  beyond  the  opening  sentences.  A 
message  directly  from  him  would  have  been  in- 
valuable to  students,  and  might  have  averted 
many  unlucky  misapprehensions  of  himself 
and  his  works.  Those  of  his  contempo- 
raries who  have  harkened  with  rapture  to  his 
playing  have  declared  that  he  alone  could  ade- 
quately interpret  his  tone-creations,  or  make 
perfectly  intelligible  his  method.  Pupils  of  his 
and  their  pupils  have  faithfully  endeavored  to 
transmit  to  the  musical  world  the  tradition  of 
his  individual  style.  The  elect  few  have  come 
into  touch  with  his  vision  of  beauty,  but  it  has 

144 


Poetry  a.nd  Leadership  of  Chopin 

been  mercilessly  misinterpreted  by  thousands 
of  ruthless  aspirants  to  musical  honors,  in  the 
schoolroom,  the  students'  recital  and  the  con- 
cert hall. 

Whoever  plays  Chopin  with  sledge-hammer 
fingers  will  deaden  all  sense  of  his  poetry, 
charm  and  grace.  Whoever  approaches  him 
with  weak  sentimentalism  will  miss  altogether 
his  dignity  and  strength.  It  has  been  said  of 
him  that  he  was  Woman  in  his  tenderness  and 
realization  of  the  beautiful;  and  Man  in  his 
energy  and  force  of  mind.  The  highest  type 
of  artist  and  human  being  is  thus  represented. 
To  interpret  him  requires  simplicity,  purity  of 
style,  refined  technique,  poetic  imagination  and 
genuine  sentiment — not  fitful,  fictitious  senti- 
mentality. 

In  regard  to  the  much  discussed  tempo 
rubato  of  Chopin  many  and  fatal  blunders  have 
been  made.  Players  without  number  have 
gone  stumbling  over  the  piano  keys  with  a  tot- 
tering, spasmodic  gait,  serenely  fancying  they 
are  heeding  the  master's  design.  Reckless, 
out-of-time  playing  disfigures  what  is  meant 
J45 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

to  express  the  fluctuation  of  thought,  the  soul's 
agitation,  the  rolling  of  the  waves  of  time  and 
eternity.  The  rubato,  from  rubare,  to  rob,  rep- 
resents a  pliable  movement  that  is  certainly  as 
old  as  the  Greek  drama  in  declamation,  and  was 
employed  in  intoning  the  Gregorian  chant. 
The  recitative  of  the  sixteenth  century  gave  it 
prominence,  and  it  passed  into  instrumental 
music.  Indications  of  it  in  Bach  are  too  often 
neglected.  Beethoven  used  it  effectively. 
Chopin  appropriated  it  as  one  of  his  most 
potent  auxiliaries.  In  playing  he  emphasized 
the  saying  of  Mozart :  "Let  your  left  hand  be 
the  orchestra  conductor,"  while  his  right  hand 
balanced  and  swayed  the  melody  and  its  ara- 
besques according  to  the  natural  pulsation  of 
the  emotions.  "You  see  that  tree,"  exclaimed 
Liszt;  "its  leaves  tremble  with  every  breath 
of  the  wind,  but  the  tree  remains  unshaken — 
that  is  the  rubato."  There  are  storms  to 
which  even  the  tree  yields.  To  realize  them, 
to  divine  the  laws  which  regulate  the  undulat- 
ing, tempest-tossed  rubato,  requires  highly 

J46 


Poetry  a.nd  Leadership  of  Chopin 

matured  artistic  taste  and  absolute  musical 
control. 

Too  sensitive  to  enjoy  playing  before  mis- 
cellaneous audiences  whose  unsympathetic  cu- 
riosity, he  declared,  paralyzed  him,  Chopin  was 
at  his  best  when  interpreting  music  in  private, 
for  a  choice  circle  of  friends  or  pupils,  or  when 
absorbed  in  composition.  It  is  not  too  much 
to  say  for  him  that  he  ushered  in  a  new  era  for 
his  chosen  instrument,  spiritualizing  its  timbre, 
liberating  it  from  traditional  orchestral  and 
choral  effects,  and  elevating  it  to  an  independ- 
ent power  in  the  world  of  music.  Besides  en- 
riching the  technique  of  the  piano,  he  aug- 
mented the  materials  of  musical  expression, 
contributing  fresh  charms  to  those  prime  fac- 
tors of  music  melody,  harmony  and  rhythm. 
New  chord  extensions,  passages  of  double 
notes,  arabesques  and  harmonic  combinations 
were  devised  by  him  and  he  so  systematized 
the  use  of  the  pedals  that  the  most  varied 
nuances  could  be  produced  by  them. 

In  melody  and  general  conception  his  tone- 
poems  sprang  spontaneously  from  his  glowing 

147 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

fancy,  but  they  were  subjected  to  the  most 
severe  tests  before  they  were  permitted  to  go 
out  into  the  world.  Every  ingenious  device 
that  gave  character  to  his  exquisite  cantilena, 
and  softened  his  most  startling  chord  progres- 
sions, was  evolved  by  the  vivid  imagination  of 
this  master  from  hitherto  hidden  qualities  of  the 
pianoforte.  Without  him  neither  it  nor  mod- 
ern music  could  have  been  what  it  is.  An  ac- 
centuation like  the  ringing  of  distant  bells  is 
frequently  heard  in  his  music.  To  him  bell 
tones  were  ever  ringing,  reminding  him  of 
home,  summoning  him  to  the  heights. 

James  Huneker,  the  raconteur  of  the  Mus- 
ical Courier,  discussing  the  compositions  of 
Chopin,  in  his  delightful  and  inspiring  book, 
"Chopin,  the  Man  and  His  Music,"  calls  the 
studies  Titanic  experiments;  the  preludes, 
moods  in  miniature;  the  nocturnes,  night  and 
its  melancholy  mysteries;  the  ballades,  faery 
dramas ;  the  polonaises,  heroic  hymns  of  battle ; 
the  valses  and  mazurkas,  dances  of  the  soul; 
the  scherzos,  the  work  of  Chopin  the  con- 
queror. In  the  sonatas  and  concertos  he  sees 

J48 


Poetry  a.nd  Leadership  of  Chopin 

the  princely  Pole  bravely  carrying  his  banner 
amid  classical  currents.  For  the  impromptus 
alone  he  has  found  no  name  and  says  of  them : 
"To  write  of  the  four  impromptus  in  their  own 
key  of  unrestrained  feeling  and  pondered  in- 
tention would  not  be  as  easy  as  recapturing  the 
first  'careless  rapture  of  the  lark.' ' 

Unquestionably  the  poetry  of  Chopin  is  of 
the  most  exquisite  lyric  character,  his  leader- 
ship is  supreme.  So  original  was  his  concep- 
tion, so  finished  his  workmanship,  so  sublime 
his  purpose,  that  we  may  well  exclaim  with 
Schumann,  "He  is  the  boldest,  proudest  poetic 
spirit  of  the  time."  "His  greatness  is  his  aris- 
tocracy," says  Oscar  Bie.  "He  stands  among 
musicians  in  his  faultless  vesture,  a  noble  from 
head  to  foot." 


149 


PAGAN  I. XI 


150 


VIII 

Violins  and  Violinists— Fact  and 
Fable 

THAT  fine  old  bard  who  shaped  the  charac- 
ter of  Volker  the  Fiddler  in  the  Nibelungen 
Lay,  had  a  glowing  vision  of  the  power  of 
music  and  of  the  violin.  Players  on  the  videl, 
or  fiddle,  abounded  in  the  days  of  chivalry,  but 
Volker,  glorified  by  genius,  rises  superior  to  his 
fellow  minstrels.  The  inspiring  force  of  his 
martial  strains  renewed  the  courage  of  way- 
worn heroes.  His  gentle  measures,  pure  and 
melodious  as  a  prayer,  lulled  them  to  sorely- 
needed  rest. 

And  what  a  wonderful  bow  he  wielded !  It 
was  mighty  and  long,  fashioned  like  a  sword, 

J5J 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

with  a  keen-edged  outer  blade,  and  in  his  good 
right  hand  could  deal  a  deft  blow  on  either  side. 
Ever  ready  for  action  was  he,  and  his  friend- 
ship for  Hagen  of  Tronje  furnished  the  main 
elements  of  that  grim  warrior's  power.  To- 
gether they  were  long  invincible,  smiting  the 
foe  with  giant  strokes,  accompanied  by  music. 

The  modern  German  poet,  Wilhelm  Jordan, 
in  his  Sigfridsage,  clothes  Volker  with  the  at- 
tributes of  a  violin  king  he  loved,  and  repre- 
sents him  tenderly  handling  the  violin.  His 
noble  portrayal  of  a  violinist  testifies  no  more 
fully  to  the  mission  of  the  musician  than  the  cre- 
ation of  the  Nibelungen  bard.  In  August 
Wilhelmj,  once  hailed  by  Henrietta  Sontag  as 
the  coming  Paganini,  Richard  Wagner  saw 
"Volker  the  Fiddler  living  anew,  until  death 
a  warrior  true."  So  he  wrote  in  a  dedicatory 
verse  beneath  a  portrait  of  himself,  presented 
to  "Volker- Wilhelmj  as  a  souvenir  of  the  first 
Baireuth  festival." 

The  idea  of  a  magic  fiddle  and  a  wonder- 
working fiddler  was  strongly  rooted  in  the 
popular  imagination  of  many  peoples,  through 

152 


Violins  and  Violinists 

many  ages.  Typical  illustrations  are  the 
Wonderful  Musician  of  Grimm's  Fairy  Tales, 
whose  fiddling  attracted  man  and  beast,  and  the 
lad  of  Norse  folk-lore  who  won  a  fiddle  that 
could  make  people  dance  to  any  tune  he  chose. 
In  Norway  the  traditional  violin  teacher  is  the 
cascade-haunting  musical  genius  Fossegrim, 
who,  when  suitably  propitiated,  seizes  the  right 
hand  of  one  that  seeks  his  aid  and  moves  it 
across  the  strings  until  blood  gushes  from  the 
finger-tips.  Thenceforth  the  pupil  becomes  a 
master,  and  can  make  trees  leap,  rivers  stay 
their  course  and  people  bow  to  his  will. 

Those  of  us  who  were  brought  up  on  Eng- 
lish nursery  rhymes  early  loved  the  fiddle. 
Old  King  Cole,  that  merry  old  soul,  was  a 
prime  favorite,  notwithstanding  his  fondness 
for  pipe  and  bowl,  because  when  he  called  for 
them  he  called  for  his  fiddlers  three  and  their 
very  fine  fiddles.  According  to  Robert  of 
Gloucester,  the  real  King  Cole,  a  popular  mon- 
arch of  Britain  in  the  third  century,  was  the 
father  of  St.  Helena,  the  zealous  friend  of 
church  music.  The  nursery  satire  of  doubtful 

153 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

antiquity  is  our  sole  evidence  of  his  devotion  to 
the  art 

That  John  who  Stoutly  refused  to  sell  his 
fiddle  in  order  to  buy  his  wife  a  gown  placed 
the  ideal  above  the  material.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
Mrs.  John  enjoyed  music  more  than  gay  attire. 
Certainly  the  dame  who  was  forced  to  dance 
without  her  shoe  until  the  master  found  his 
fiddling-stick  knew  the  worth  of  the  fiddler's 
art. 

It  may  have  been  from  a  play  on  the  word 
catgut  that  so  many  of  these  ditties  represent 
pussy  in  relation  with  the  fiddle.  True  fid- 
dler's magic  belonged  to  the  cat  whose  fiddling 
made  the  cow  jump  over  the  moon,  the  little 
dog  laugh  and  the  dish  run  away  with  the 
spoon.  Rarely  accomplished  too  was  the  cat 
that  came  fiddling  out  of  the  barn  with  a  pair 
of  bagpipes  under  her  arm,  singing  "Fiddle 
cum  fee,  the  mouse  has  married  the  humble 
bee." 

Scientists  tell  us  that  crickets,  grasshoppers, 
locusts  and  the  like  are  fiddlers.  Their  hind 
legs  are  their  fiddle-bows,  and  by  drawing 

154 


Violins  and  Violinists 

these  briskly  up  and  down  the  projecting  veins 
of  their  wing-covers  they  produce  the  sounds 
that  characterize  them.  Was  it  in  imitation  of 
these  small  winged  creatures  that  man  first  ex- 
perimented with  the  friction  of  bow  and  strings 
as  a  means  of  making  music?  Scarcely.  It 
was  the  result  of  similar  instinct  on  a  larger 
human  scale. 

String  instruments  played  with  a  bow  may 
be  traced  to  a  remote  period  among  various 
Oriental  peoples.  An  example  of  their  sim- 
plest form  exists  in  the  ravanastron,  or  banjo- 
fiddle,  supposed  to  have  been  invented  by  King 
Ravana,  who  reigned  in  Ceylon  some  5,000 
years  ago.  It  is  formed  of  a  small  cylindrical 
sounding-body,  with  a  stick  running  through  it 
for  a  neck,  a  bridge,  and  a  single  string  of  silk, 
or  at  most  two  strings.  Its  primitive  bow  was 
a  long  hairless  cane  rod  which  produced  sound 
when  drawn  across  the  silk.  Better  tone  was 
derived  from  strings  plucked  with  fingers  or 
plectrum,  and  so  the  rude  contrivance  remained 
long  undeveloped. 

The  European  violin  is  the  logical  outcome 

J55 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

of  the  appliance  of  the  bow  to  those  progeni- 
tors of  the  pianoforte,  the  Greek  monochord 
-and  lyre,  precisely  as  our  music  is  the  out- 
growth of  the  diatonic  scale  developed  by  the 
Greeks  from  those  instruments.  Numerous 
obstacles  stand  in  the  way  of  defining  its  story, 
but  it  is  known  that  from  the  ninth  century  to 
the  thirteenth  bow  instruments  gained  in  im- 
portance. They  divided  into  two  classes — the 
viol  proper,  with  flat  back  and  breast  and  in- 
dented sides,  to  which  belonged  the  veille, 
videl,  or  as  it  has  been  called,  guitar-fiddle,  and 
the  pear-shaped  type,  such  as  the  gigue  and 
rebec.  The  latter  is  what  Chaucer  calls  the 
rubible. 

Possibly  an  impulse  was  given  the  fiddle  by 
the  Moorish  rebab,  brought  into  Spain  in  the 
eighth  century,  but  ancient  Celtic  bards  had 
long  before  this  used  a  bow  instrument — the 
chrotta  or  crwth,  derived  from  the  lyre,  which 
was  introduced  by  the  Romans  in  their  coloniz- 
ing expeditions.  As  early  as  560  A.  D.,  Ve- 
nantius  Fortunatus,  Bishop  of  Poitiers,  wrote 
to  the  Duke  of  Champagne : 

156 


Violins  and  Violinists 

"Let  the  barbarians  praise  thee  with  the  harp, 
Let  the  British  crwth  sing." 

This  instrument,  whose  name  signifies 
bulging  box,  was  common  in  Britain,  and  was 
used  in  Wales  until  a  comparatively  recent 
period.  One  of  its  distinguishing  features 
was  an  opening  in  the  lower  part  for  the  ad- 
mission of  the  fingers  while  playing.  A  fine 
specimen  is  preserved  in  the  South  Kensington 
Museum,  corresponding  well  to  the  following 
description  by  a  Welsh  poet  of  the  fifteenth 
century :  "A  fair  coffer  with  a  bow,  a  girdle, 
a  finger-board  and  a  bridge;  its  value  is  a 
pound;  it  has  a  frontlet  formed  like  a  wheel 
with  the  short-nosed  bow  across.  In  its  cen- 
tre are  the  circled  sounding-holes,  and  the 
bulging  of  its  back  is  somewhat  like  an  old 
man,  but  on  its  breast  harmony  reigns,  from 
the  sycamore  melodious  music  is  obtained. 
Six  pegs,  if  we  screw  them,  will  tighten  all  its 
chords;  six  advantageous  strings  are  found, 
which,  in  a  skilful  hand,  produce  a  varied 
sound." 

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For  Every  Music  Lover 

In  this  same  museum  is  a  curious  wedge- 
shaped  boxwood  fiddle,  decorated  with  alle- 
gorical scenes,  and  dated  1578.  Dr.  Burney 
states  that  it  has  no  more  tone  than  a  violin 
with  a  sordine.  It  is  said  to  have  been  pre- 
sented by  Queen  Elizabeth  to  the  Earl  of  Lei- 
cester, and  bears  both  of  their  coats-of-arms 
in  silver  on  the  sounding-board.  Besides  her 
other  accomplishments,  the  Virgin  Queen,  we 
are  told,  was  a  violinist.  During  her  reign  we 
find  the  violin  mentioned  among  instruments 
accompanying  the  drama  and  various  festiv- 
ities, and  viols  of  diverse  kinds  were  freely 
used.  Shakespeare,  in  Twelfth  Night,  has  Sir 
Toby  enumerate  among  Sir  Andrew  Ague- 
cheek's  attractions  skill  on  the  viol-de-gam- 
boys,  Sir  Toby's  blunder  for  the  viola  da 
gamba,  a  fashionable  bass  viol  held  between  the 
knees.  A  part  was  written  for  this  instru- 
ment in  Bach's  St.  Matthew  Passion,  and  a 
number  of  celebrated  performers  on  it  are  re- 
corded in  the  eighteenth  century.  Two  of 
these  were  ladies,  Mrs.  Sarah  Ottey  and  Miss 
Ford. 

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Violins  and  Violinists 

Violers  and  fiddlers  formed  an  essential  part 
of  the  retinue  of  many  monarchs  in  the  six- 
teenth and  seventeenth  centuries.  Charles  II., 
of  England,  had  twenty- four  at  his  court,  with 
red  bonnets  and  flaunting  livery,  who  played 
for  him  while  he  was  dining  according  to  the 
custom  he  had  known  at  the  French  court  dur- 
ing his  exile.  Place  was  grudgingly  yielded 
to  the  violin  by  friends  of  the  less  insistent 
viol.  Butler,  in  Hudibras,  styled  it  "a  squeak- 
ing engine."  Earlier  writers  mention  "the 
scolding  violin,"  and  describing  the  Maypole 
dance  tell  of  not  hearing  the  "minstrelsie  for 
the  fiddling."  Thus  all  along  its  course  it  has 
had  its  opponents  and  deriders  as  well  as  its 
friends. 

The  soft-toned  viol  had  deeply  indented 
sides  to  permit  a  free  use  of  the  bow,  was 
mostly  supplied  with  frets  like  a  guitar,  and 
had  usually  from  five  to  seven  strings.  Its 
different  sizes  corresponded  with  the  soprano, 
contralto,  tenor  and  bass  of  the  human  voice. 
An  extremely  interesting  treble  viol  much  in 
vogue  in  the  eighteenth  century  was  the  viola 

J59 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

d'amore,  with  fourteen  strings,  the  seven  of 
gut  and  silver  being  supplemented  by  seven 
sympathetic  wire  strings  running  below  the 
finger-board  and  tuned  in  unison  with  the  bow- 
strings, vibrating  harmoniously  while  these  are 
played.  A  remarkably  well  preserved  speci- 
men of  this  instrument,  made  by  Eberle  of 
Prague,  in  1733,  and  superbly  carved  on  peg- 
box  and  scroll,  is  in  the  fine  private  violin  col- 
lection of  Mr.  D.  H.  Carr,  of  Milwaukee,  Wis- 
consin. It  is  one  of  the  few  genuine  viola 
d'amores  extant.  The  owner  says  of  it :  "The 
tone  is  simply  wonderful,  mellow,  pure  and 
strong,  and  of  that  exquisite  harmony  that 
comes  from  the  throne  of  Nature.  I  know  of 
no  other  genuine  viola  d'amore,  and  it  com- 
pares with  the  modern  copies  I  have  seen  as  a 
Raphael  or  a  Rubens  with  some  cheap  litho- 
graph." These  modern  copies  are  the  result 
of  recent  efforts  to  revive  the  use  of  this  fasci- 
nating instrument.  A  barytone  of  a  kindred 
nature  was  the  viola  di  bordone  or  drone  viol, 
so  called  because  there  was  a  suggestion  of  the 
buzzing  of  drone-flies,  or  humble  bees,  in  the 

J60 


Violins  and  Violinists 

tones  of  its  sympathetic  strings,  which  often 
numbered  as  many  as  twenty-four.  These 
violas  recall  the  Hardanger  peasant  riddle  of 
Norway,  of  unknown  origin  and  antiquity, 
whose  delicate  metallic  under  strings  quaver 
tremulously  and  mysteriously  when  the  bow 
sets  in  motion  the  main  strings. 

At  one  time  every  family  of  distinction  in 
Britain  deemed  a  chest  of  viols,  consisting  for 
the  most  part  of  two  trebles,  two  altos,  a  bary- 
tone and  a  bass,  as  indispensable  to  the  house- 
hold as  the  piano  is  thought  to-day.  It  was 
made  effective  in  accompanying  the  madrigal, 
that  delightful  flower  of  the  Elizabethan  age. 
Singers  not  always  being  available  for  all  of 
the  difficult  voice  parts  viols  of  the  same  com- 
pass supplied  the  lack.  It  was  but  a  step  for 
masters  of  music  to  compose  pieces  marked  "to 
be  sung  or  played,"  thus  contributing  to  the 
forces  that  were  lifting  instrumental  music 
above  mere  accompaniment  for  song  or  dance. 

When  musicians  make  demands  musical  in- 
strument makers  are  ever  ready  to  meet  them, 
and  the  viol  steadily  improved.  One  who  con- 
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For  Every  Music  Lover 

tributed  to  its  progress  was  Gasper  Duiffop- 
rugcar  (1514-1572)  a  luthier  and  mosaic  in- 
layer,  known  in  the  Tyrol,  in  Bologna,  Paris 
and  Lyons.  The  belief  that  he  originated  the 
violin  rests  chiefly  on  the  elaborately  orna- 
mented forgeries  bearing  his  name,  the  work 
of  French  imitators  from  1800  to  1840.  There 
is  an  etching,  supposed  to  be  a  copy  of  a  por- 
trait of  himself  carved  on  one  of  his  viols  with 
this  motto:  "I  lived  in  the  wood  until  I  was 
slain  by  the  relentless  axe.  In  life  I  was  silent, 
but  in  death  my  melody  is  exquisite." 

The  words  might  apply  to  the  perfected  vio- 
lin, whose  evolution  was  going  on  all  through 
that  period  of  literary  and  artistic  activity 
known  as  the  Renaissance.  When  or  at  whose 
hands  it  gained  its  present  form  is  unknown. 
The  same  doubt  encircles  its  first  master  player. 
Perhaps  the  earliest  worthy  of  mention  is  one 
Baltzarini,  a  Piedmontese,  appointed  by  Cath- 
erine de  Medici,  in  1577,  to  lead  the  music  at 
the  French  court,  and  said  to  have  started  the 
heroic  and  historical  ballet  in  France. 

He  is  sometimes  confounded  with  Thomas 

162 


Violins  and  Violinists 

Baltzar,  a  violinist  of  Lubec,  who,  in  1656  in- 
troduced the  practice  of  shifting  in  London, 
where  he  wholly  eclipsed  David  Mell,  a  much 
admired  clockmaker  fiddler,  although  the  lat- 
ter, as  a  contemporary  stoutly  averred,  "played 
sweeter,  was  a  well-bred  gentleman,  and  was 
not  given  to  excessive  drinking  as  Baltzar 
was."  His  marvelous  feat  of  "running  his 
ringers  to  the  end  of  the  finger-board  and  back 
again  with  all  alacrity"  caused  a  learned  Ox- 
ford connoisseur  of  music  to  look  if  he  had 
hoofs.  Notwithstanding  the  jovial  tastes  of 
this  German,  he  was  appointed  leader,  by 
Charles  II.,  of  the  famous  violins,  and  had  the 
final  honor  of  a  burial  in  Westminster  Abbey. 
Here  reposed  also  in  due  time  his  successor 
in  the  royal  band,  John  Banister,  who  had 
been  sent  by  the  king  to  France  for  study,  and 
who  was  the  first  Englishman,  unless  the  ama- 
teur Mell  be  counted,  to  distinguish  himself  as 
a  performer  on  the  violin.  He  wrote  music 
for  Shakespeare's  Tempest,  and  was  the  first  to 
attempt,  in  London,  concerts  at  which  the  audi- 
ence paid  for  seats.  Announcements  of  the 

163 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

initial  performance,  September  30,  1672,  read : 
"These  are  to  give  notice  that  at  Mr.  Banister's 
house  (now  called  the  Musick  School)  over 
against  the  George  Tavern  in  White  Friars, 
this  present  Monday  will  be  performed  musick 
by  excellent  masters,  beginning  precisely  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  every  after- 
noon for  the  future  at  precisely  the  same  hour." 
Credit  for  shaping  the  first  violin  has  been 
given  Gasparo  Bertolotti  (1542-1609),  called 
Gasparo  da  Salo,  from  his  birthplace,  a  suburb 
of  Brescia,  that  pearl  of  Lombardy  so  long  a 
bone  of  contention  among  nations.  Violins 
were  doubtless  made  before  his  time,  but  none 
are  known  to-day  dated  earlier  than  his.  A 
pretty  legend  tells  how  this  skilful  viol-maker 
imprisoned  in  his  first  violin  the  golden  tones 
of  the  soprano  voice  of  Marietta,  the  maiden  he 
loved  and  from  whom  death  parted  him.  Her 
likeness,  so  the  story  runs,  is  preserved  in  the 
angel  face,  by  Benevenuto  Cellini,  adorning  the 
head.  The  instrument  thus  famed  was  pur- 
chased for  3,000  Neapolitan  ducats  by  Car- 
dinal Aldobrandini,  who  presented  it  to  the 

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Violins  and  Violinists 

treasury  at  Innspriick.  Here  it  remained  as 
a  curiosity  until  the  French  took  the  city  in 
1809,  when  it  was  carried  to  Vienna  and  sold 
to  a  wealthy  Bohemian  collector,  after  whose 
death  it  came  into  the  possession  of  Ole  Bull. 

Gaspare's  pupil,  Giovanni  Paolo  Maggini 
(1581-1631),  improved  the  principles  of  vio- 
lin-building, and  gave  the  world  the  modern 
viola  and  violoncello.  A  rich  viola-like  qual- 
ity characterizes  the  Maggini  violin.  De 
Beriot  used  one  in  his  concerts,  and  its  plain- 
tive tone  was  thought  well  suited  to  his  style. 
He  refused  to  part  with  it  for  20,000  francs 
when  Wieniawski,  in  1859,  wished  to  buy  it. 
To-day  it  would  command  a  far  higher  price. 
It  is  stated  on  authority  that  not  more  than 
fifty  instruments  of  its  make  now  exist,  al- 
though a  large  number  of  French  imitations 
claim  recognition. 

While  Gasparo  was  founding  the  so-called 
Brescian  school,  Andrea  Amati  (1520-1580), 
a  viol  and  rebec  maker  of  picturesque  Cre- 
mona, began  to  make  violins,  doubtless  to  fill 
the  orders  of  his  patrons.  He  must  have  be- 

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For  Every  Music  Lover 

lieved  the  pinnacle  of  fame  reached  when  King 
Charles  IX.  of  France,  in  1566,  commissioned 
him  to  construct  twenty-four  violins,  twelve 
large  and  twelve  small  pattern.  They  were 
kept  in  the  Chapel  Royal,  Versailles,  until 
1790,  when  they  were  seized  by  the  mob  in  the 
French  Revolution,  and  but  one  of  them  is 
known  to  have  escaped  destruction.  Heron- 
Allen,  in  his  work  on  violin  making,  gives  a 
picture  of  it,  obtained  through  the  courtesy  of 
its  owner,  George  Somers,  an  English  gentle- 
man. Its  tone  is  described  as  mellow  and  ex- 
tremely beautiful,  but  lacking  in  brilliancy. 

As  the  Amati  brothers,  Antonio  and  Geron- 
imo  (Hieronymous)  Amati  continued  their 
father's  trade,  producing  instruments  similar 
to  his.  The  family  reached  its  flower  in 
Nicolo  Amati  (1596-1684),  son  of  Geronimo. 
He  originated  the  "Grand  Amatis,"  and  at- 
tained a  purer,  more  resonant  tone  than  his 
predecessors,  although  not  always  adapted  to 
modern  concert  use.  One  of  his  violins  was 
the  favorite  instrument  of  the  French  virtuoso 
Delphine  Jean  Alard  (1815-1888),  long  violin 

166 


Violins  and  Violinists 

professor  at  the  Paris  Conservatoire.  It  has 
been  described  as  sounding  like  the  melodious 
voice  of  a  child  heard  beside  the  rising  tide. 
Another  fine  specimen  was  exhibited  by  Mr.  J. 
D.  Partello,  in  1893,  at  the  World's  Fair,  in 
Chicago. 

Nicolo  Amati's  influence  was  felt  in  his  fa- 
mous pupils.  Foremost  among  these  was  An- 
tonio Stradivarius  (1644-1737),  whose  praises 
have  been  sung  by  poets,  and  whose  life  was 
one  of  unwavering  service.  His  first  attempts 
were  mere  copies,  but  after  he  was  equipped 
with  his  master's  splendid  legacy  of  tools  and 
wood,  his  originality  asserted  itself.  His 
"Golden"  period  was  from  1700  to  1725,  but 
he  accomplished  good  work  until  death  over- 
took him.  From  his  bench  were  sent  out  some 
seven  thousand  instruments,  including  tenors 
and  violoncellos.  Of  these  perhaps  two  thou- 
sand were  violins. 

A  romance  encircling  this  master  of  Cre- 
mona tells  that  in  youth  he  loved  his  master's 
daughter,  but  that  failing  to  win  her  heart  and 
hand,  he  gave  himself  wholly  to  his  work. 

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For  Every  Music  Lover 

He  married,  finally,  a  wealthy  widow  whose 
means  enabled  him  to  pursue  his  avocation 
undisturbed  by  monetary  anxieties.  His  la- 
bors steadily  increased  the  family  property 
until  "as  rich  as  Stradivarius"  became  a  com- 
mon saying  in  Cremona.  Because  of  his 
achievements  and  his  personal  worth,  he  was 
held  in  high  esteem.  Members  of  royal  fam- 
ilies, prelates  of  the  church,  men  of  wealth  and 
culture  throughout  Europe,  were  his  personal 
friends  as  well  as  his  clients.  His  handsome 
home,  with  his  workshop  and  the  roofshed 
where  he  stored  his  wood,  was,  until  recently, 
exhibited  to  visitors.  To-day  not  a  vestige  of 
it  remains.  Weary  of  the  importunities  of 
relic-seekers,  the  Cremonese  have  torn  it  down, 
and  have  banished  violins  and  every  reminder  of 
them  from  the  town. 

The  tone  of  a  Stradivarius,  in  good  condi- 
tion, is  round,  full  and  exceedingly  brilliant, 
and  displays  remarkable  equality  as  the  player 
passes  from  string  to  string.  Dr.  Joseph  Jo- 
achim, owner  of  the  famous  Buda-Pesth  Strad, 
writes  of  the  maker  that  he  "seems  to  have 

168 


Violins  and  Violinists 

given  his  violins  a  soul  that  speaks  and  a  heart 
that  beats."  The  Tuscan  Strad,  one  of  a  set 
ordered  by  Marquis  Ariberti  for  the  Prince  of 
Tuscany,  in  169/3,  was  sold  two  hundred  years 
later  to  Mr.  Brandt  by  a  London  firm  for 
£2,000.  Lady  Halle,  court  violinist  to  Queen 
Alexandra,  owns  the  concert  Strad  of  Ernst 
(1814-1865),  composer  of  the  celebrated 
Elegie,  and  values  it  at  $10,000.  A  magnifi- 
cent Stradivarius  violin,  with  an  exceedingly 
romantic  history,  belongs  to  Carl  Gaertner,  the 
veteran  violinist  and  musician  of  Philadelphia, 
and  could  not  be  purchased  at  any  price. 

Another  violin-builder  from  Nicolo  Amati's 
workshop  was  Andrea  Guarnerius  (1630- 
1695),  whose  sons,  Giuseppe  and  Pietro,  fol- 
lowed in  his  footsteps.  The  family  name 
reached  its  highest  distinction  in  his  nephew, 
Giuseppe  (Joseph)  Guarnerius  (1683-1745), 
called  del  Gesu,  because  on  his  labels  the  initials 
I.  H.  S.,  surmounted  by  a  Roman  cross,  were 
placed  after  his  name,  indicating  that  he  be- 
longed to  a  Jesuit  society. 

This  Joseph  of  Cremona  figures  in  story  as  a 

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For  Every  Music  Lover 

man  of  fascinating,  restless  personality,  who 
for  weeks  would  squander  time  and  talents 
and  then  set  to  work  with  a  zeal  equalling  that 
of  Master  Stradivarius.  Tradition  has  it  that 
he  was  once  imprisoned  for  some  bit  of  law- 
lessness, and  was  saved  from  despair  by  the 
jailor's  daughter  who  brought  him  the  tools 
and  materials  required  for  violin-building. 
What  he  esteemed  the  masterpiece  of  his  lonely 
cell  he  presented  as  a  souvenir  to  his  gentle 
friend. 

The  violin  about  which  this  legend  is  woven, 
dated  1742,  was  bought  by  Ole  Bull  from  the 
famous  Tarisio  collection,  and  is  now  the  prop- 
erty of  his  son,  Mr.  Alexander  Bull.  It  has 
an  unusually  rich,  sonorous  tone  and  splendid 
carrying  powers.  Similar  qualities  are  attrib- 
uted to  the  Paganini  Guarnerius  del  Gesu, 
1743,  known  as  the  "Canon"  and  kept  under 
glass  at  the  Genoa  Museum.  Mr.  Hart,  a 
violin  authority,  places  highest  in  this  make  the 
"King  Joseph,"  1737,  long  in  the  private  collec- 
tions of  Mr.  Hawley,  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
and  of  Mr.  Ralph  Granger,  Paradise  Valley, 

170 


Violins  and  Violinists 

California,  and  recently  put  on  the  market  by 
Lyon  &  Healy,  of  Chicago. 

An  interesting  Nicolo  Amati  pupil  was  Ja- 
cob Steiner  (1621-1683),  a  Tyrolese,  who,  al- 
though bearing  a  glittering  title,  "violin  maker 
to  the  Austrian  Emperor,"  was  harassed  with 
financial  perplexities  and  died  insane.  HTis 
most  noted  violins  were  the  sixteen  "Elector 
Steiners,"  one  sent  to  each  of  the  Electors  and 
four  to  the  Emperor.  During  his  life  the 
average  price  of  his  violins  was  six  florins.  A 
century  after  his  death  the  Duke  of  Orleans, 
Louis  Philippe's  grandfather,  paid  3,500 
florins  for  one  of  them.  It  is  also  recorded 
that  an  American  gentleman  on  La  Fayette's 
staff,  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  exchanged 
for  a  Steiner  1,500  acres  of  the  tract  where 
Pittsburg  now  stands.  Mozart's  violin,  in  the 
Mozarteum  at  Salzburg,  is  a  Steiner. 

Many  violin-makers  did  good  work  in  the 
past,  many  are  achieving  success  to-day.  It 
has  been  confidently  asserted  that  the  violin 
reached  its  highest  possibilities  in  the  old  Bres- 
cian  and  Cremona  days.  Why  should  this  be 

m 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

the  case?  The  same  well-defined  principles, 
based  on  acoustics  and  other  modern  sciences, 
that  have  led  to  the  steady  improvement  of 
other  musical  instruments  ought  surely  to  be  of 
some  advantage  to  the  violin.  Indeed,  who 
knows  but  the  day  may  come  when  the  present 
will  be  considered  its  golden  age. 

While  the  men  of  Cremona  were  still  fash- 
ioning their  models  the  want  of  good  strings 
was  felt.  This  was  met  by  Angelo  Angelucci, 
known  as  the  string-maker  of  Naples,  a  man 
who  loved  music  and  passed  much  time  with 
violinists.  Through  his  painstaking  efforts 
such  perfection  was  reached  that  Tartini,  who 
was  born  the  same  year  as  he,  1692,  could  play 
his  most  difficult  compositions  two  hundred 
times  on  the  Angelucci  strings,  whereas  he  was 
continually  interrupted  by  the  snapping  of 
others.  Improvements  in  the  bow,  often  called 
the  tongue  of  the  violin,  are  due  to  the  house  of 
Tourte,  in  Paris,  in  the  eighteenth  century, 
lightness,  elasticity  and  spring  coming  to  it 
from  Francis  Tourte,  Jr. 

Three  eminent  virtuosi,  Corelli,  Tartini  and 
J72 


Violins  and  Violinists 

Viotti,  whose  united  careers  spanned  a  period 
of  150  years,  prepared  the  way  for  modern 
methods  of  violin-playing.  Arcangeio  Corelli 
(1653-1713)  left  his  home  in  Fusignano,  near 
Bologna,  a  young  violinist,  for  an  extended 
concert  tour.  His  gentle,  sensitive  disposi- 
tion proving  unfitted  to  cope  with  the  jealousy 
of  Lully,  chief  violinist  in  France,  and  with 
sundry  annoyances  in  other  lands,  he  returned 
to  Italy  and  entered  the  service  of  Cardinal 
Ottoboni  in  Rome.  In  the  private  apartments 
of  the  prelate  there  gathered  a  choice  company 
of  music  lovers  every  Monday  afternoon  to 
hear  his  latest  compositions.  Besides  his  solos 
these  comprised  groups  of  idealized  dance 
tunes  with  harmony  of  mood  for  their  bond  of 
union,  and  played  by  two  violins,  a  viola,  vio- 
loncello and  harpsichord.  They  were  the 
parents  of  modern  Chamber  Music,  the  place 
of  assemblage  furnishing  the  name. 

Refined  taste  and  purity  of  tone,  we  are  told, 
distinguished  the  playing  of  Corelli,  and  to 
him  are  attributed  the  systematization  of  bow- 
ing and  the  introduction  of  chord-playing. 

J73 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

He  heads  the  lists  of  musicians  who  protest 
against  talking  where  there  is  music.  On  one 
occasion  when  his  patron  was  addressing  some 
remarks  to  another  person,  he  laid  down  his 
violin,  and  on  being  asked  the  reason  said  "he 
feared  the  music  was  disturbing  the  conversa- 
tion." This  did  not  prevent  him  from  being 
held  in  the  highest  esteem.  After  his  death 
Cardinal  Ottoboni  had  a  costly  monument 
erected  over  his  grave  in  the  Pantheon,  and  for 
many  years  a  solemn  service,  consisting  of  se- 
lections from  his  works,  was  performed  there 
on  the  anniversary  of  his  funeral. 

It  was  during  a  period  of  retirement  in  the 
monastery  of  Assissi  that  Giuseppi  Tartini 
(1692-1770)  resolved  to  quit  the  law  course 
in  the  University  of  Padua  and  seek  a  career 
with  his  violin.  He  became  a  great  master  of 
this,  a  composer  of  works  still  regarded  as 
classics,  and  a  scientific  writer  on  musical  phys- 
ics. His  letter  to  his  pupil,  Signora  Maddelena 
Lombardini,  contains  invaluable  advice  on  vio- 
lin practice  and  study,  especially  on  the  use  of 
the  bow,  and  his  treatise  on  the  acoustic  phe- 

J74 


Violins  and  Violinists 

nomenon  known  as  "the  third  sound,"  together 
with  his  work  on  musical  embellishments,  may 
at  any  time  be  read  with  profit. 

It  was  after  hearing  the  eccentric  violinist 
Veracini  that  His  Satanic  Majesty  appeared  to 
Tartini  in  a  dream  and  played  for  him  a  violin 
solo  surpassing  in  marvelous  character  any- 
thing that  he  had  ever  heard  or  imagined. 
Trying  to  write  it  down  in  the  morning  he  pro- 
duced his  famous  "Devil's  Sonata,"  with  its 
double  shakes  and  sinister  laugh,  a  favorite  of 
the  violinist,  but  to  the  composer  ever  infe- 
rior to  the  music  of  his  dreams.  It  is  rather 
curious  that  anything  of  a  diabolic  nature 
should  be  associated  with  this  man  of  amiable 
and  gentle  disposition,  whose  care  of  his 
scholars,  according  to  Dr.  Burney,  was  con- 
stantly paternal.  Nardini,  his  favorite  and  most 
famous  pupil,  came  from  Leghorn  to  Padua  to 
attend  him,  with  filial  devotion,  in  his  last 
illness. 

The  talents  of  Corelli  and  Tartini  seem  to 
have  been  combined  in  the  Piedmontese,  Gio- 
vanni Battiste  Viotti  (1753-1824),  a  man  of 

J75 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

poetic,  philanthropic  mind,  whose  sensitive, 
retiring  disposition  unfitted  him  for  public 
life.  Wherever  he  appeared  he  outshone  all 
other  performers,  yet  there  was  constantly 
something  occurring  to  wound  him.  At  the 
Court  of  Versailles  he  left  the  platform  in  dis- 
gust because  the  noisy  entrance  of  a  distin- 
guished guest  interrupted  his  concerto.  In 
London,  after  his  means  had  been  crippled  by 
the  French  Revolution,  he  was  accused  of  po- 
litical intrigue. 

While  living  in  seclusion  near  Hamburg  he 
composed  some  of  his  finest  works,  among 
them  six  violin  duets,  which  he  prefaced  with 
the  words:  "This  work  is  the  fruit  of  leisure 
afforded  me  by  misfortune.  Some  of  the 
pieces  were  dictated  by  trouble,  others  by 
hope."  At  one  time  he  embarked  in  a  mer- 
cantile enterprise,  in  London,  his  transactions 
being  regulated  by  the  strictest  integrity,  but, 
as  was  inevitable,  he  soon  returned  to  Paris 
and  his  art.  After  he  had  abandoned  the  con- 
cert room  one  of  his  greatest  pleasures  was  in 
improvising  violin  parts  to  the  piano  per- 
176 


Violins  and  Violinists 

formances  of  his  friend,  Madame  Monte- 
gerault,  to  the  delight  of  all  present.  He  never 
had  more  than  seven  or  eight  pupils,  but  his  in- 
fluence has  been  widely  felt.  Many  anecdotes 
are  told  of  his  kindness  and  generosity,  and  it 
is  an  interesting  fact  that  among  those  who 
sought  his  advice  and  patronage  was  no  less  a 
personage  than  Rossini. 

It  must  be  because  genius  is  little  understood 
that  its  manifestations  have  so  often  been  at- 
tributed to  evil  influences.  The  popular  mind 
could  only  explain  the  achievements  of  the 
Genoese  wizard  of  the  bow,  Nicolo  Paganini 
(1784-1840)  by  the  belief  that  he  had  sold  him- 
self body  and  soul  to  the  devil  who  stood  ever 
at  his  elbow  when  he  played.  When,  after  a 
taxing  concert  season,  the  weary  violinist  re- 
tired to  a  Swiss  monastery  for  rest  and  practice 
amid  peaceful  surroundings,  rumor  had  it  that 
he  was  imprisoned  for  some  dark  deed.  To 
crown  the  delusion,  his  spectre  was  long  sup- 
posed to  stalk  abroad,  giving  fantastic  perform- 
ances on  the  violin.  It  is  his  apparition  Gilbert 
Parker  conjures  up  in  "The  Tall  Master." 

J77 


Paganini  is  described  as  a  man  of  tall,  gaunt 
figure,  melancholy  countenance  and  highly 
wrought  nervous  temperament.  His  successors 
have  all  profited  by  his  development  of  the 
violin's  resources,  the  result  of  combined  genius 
and  labor.  He  was  practically  a  pioneer  in  the 
effective  use  of  chords,  arpeggio  passages,  oc- 
taves and  tenths,  double  and  triple  harmonics 
and  succession  of  harmonics  in  thirds  and  in 
sixths.  His  long  fingers  were  of  invaluable 
service  to  him  in  unusual  stretches,  and  his 
fondness  for  pizzicato  passages  may  be  traced 
to  his  familiarity  with  the  twang  of  his  father's 
mandolin.  He  shone  chiefly  in  his  own  compo- 
sitions, which  were  written  in  keys  best  suited 
to  the  violin.  Students  will  find  all  that  he 
knew  of  his  instrument  and  everything  he  did 
in  his  Le  Stregghe  (The  Witches),  the  Rondo 
de  la  Clochette,  and  the  Carnaval  de  Venise, 
which  have  been  handed  down  precisely  as  he 
left  them  in  manuscript. 

Signora  Calcagno,  who  at  one  time  dazzled 
Italy  by  the  boldness  and  brilliancy  of  her  violin 
playing,  was  his  pupil  when  she  was  seven 

178 


Violins  and  Violinists 

years  old.  The  only  other  person  who  could 
boast  having  direct  instructions  from  him  was 
his  young  fellow  townsman,  Camillo  Ernesto 
Sivori  (1815-1894), who  was  in  his  day  a  great 
celebrity  in  European  musical  centres,  and  who 
was  familiar  to  concert-goers  in  this  country, 
especially  in  Boston,  during  the  late  forties  and 
early  fifties.  He  was  thought  to  produce  a 
small  but  electric  tone,  and  to  play  invariably 
in  tune.  To  him  his  master  willed  his  Stradi- 
varius  violin,  besides  having  given  him  in  life 
the  famous  Vuillaume  copy  of  his  Guarnerius, 
a  set  of  manuscript  violin  studies  and  a  high 
artistic  ideal. 

A  scholarly  teacher  and  composer  for  the 
violin  was  the  German  Ludwig  Spohr  (1784- 
1859),  who  was  born  the  same  year  as  the 
wizard  Paganini,  and  who,  although  having 
less  scintillant  genius  than  the  weird  Italian,  is 
believed  to  have  had  a  more  beneficent  influence 
over  violin  playing  in  his  treatment  of  the  in- 
strument. He  set  an  example  of  purity  of  style 
and  roundness  of  tone,  and  raised  the  violin 


\79 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

concerto  to   its  present  dignity.      His  violin 
school  is  a  standard  work. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century 
to  the  present  time  the  lists  of  excellent  violin- 
ists have  rapidly  increased  and  heights  of 
technical  skill  have  been  reached  by  many  that 
would  have  dazzled  early  violin  masters.  The 
special  tendencies  of  gifted  leaders  have  divided 
players  into  defined  schools.  Among  noted 
exponents  of  the  French  school  may  be  men- 
tioned Alard  and  his  pupil  Sarasate,  Dancla  and 
Sauret.  Charles  August  de  Beriot  (1802- 
1870)  was  the  actual  founder  of  the  Belgian 
school  whose  famous  members  include  the 
names  of  Vieuxtemps,  Leonard,  Wieniawski, 
Thomson  and  Ysaye.  Ferdinand  David  ( 1810- 
1873),  first  head  of  the  violin  department  at  the 
Leipsic  Conservatory,  gave  impulse  to  the  Ger- 
man school.  Among  his  famous  pupils  are  Dr. 
Joseph  Joachim,  known  as  one  of  the  musical 
giants  of  the  nineteenth  century;  August  Wi!- 
helmj,  the  favorite  of  Wagner,  and  Carl  Gaert- 
ner,  who,  with  his  violin  has  done  so  much  to 
cultivate  a  taste  for  classical  music  in  Philadel- 
180 


Violins  and  Violinists 

phia.  Among  the  many  lady  violinists  who 
have  attained  a  high  degree  of  excellence 
are  Madame  Norman  Neruda,  now  Lady 
Halle,  Teresina  Tua,  Camilla  Urso,  Geraldine 
Morgan,  Maud  Powell  and  Leonora  Jackson. 

The  only  violinist  whose  memory  was  ever 
honored  with  public  monuments  was  Ole  Bull 
( 18101880),  who  has  been  called  the  Paganini 
of  the  North.  Two  statues  of  him  have  been 
unveiled  by  his  countrymen,  one  in  his  native 
city,  Bergen,  Norway,  and  one  in  Minneapolis, 
Minnesota.  These  tributes  have  been  paid  not 
so  much  to  the  violinist  who  swayed  the  emo- 
tions of  an  audience  and  who  could  sing  a 
melody  on  his  instrument  into  the  hearts  of  his 
hearers,  as  to  the  patriot,  the  man  who  turned 
the  eyes  of  the  world  to  his  sturdy  little  father- 
land, and  who  gave  the  strongest  impulse  for 
everything  it  has  accomplished  in  the  past  half 
century  in  art  and  in  literature.  Another  pa- 
triot violinist  was  the  Hungarian  Eduard 
Remenyi  (18301898),  who  first  introduced 
Johannes  Brahms  to  Liszt,  and  should  always 
be  remembered  as  the  discoverer  of  Brahms. 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

The  great  demand  of  the  day  in  the  violin 
field,  as  in  that  of  other  musical  instruments, 
is  for  dazzling  pyrotechnic  feats.  It  has  per- 
haps reached  its  climax  in  the  young  Bohemian 
Jan  Kubelik,  whose  playing  has  been  pro- 
nounced technically  stupendous.  In  the  mad 
rush  for  advanced  technique,  the  soul  of  music 
it  is  meant  to  convey  is,  alas,  too  often  for- 
gotten. 


182 


JEXXY    LIND 


182 


IX 

Queens  of  Song 

OUR  first  queen  of  song  was  Vittoria  Ar- 
chilei,  that  Florentine  lady  of  noble  birth  who 
labored  faithfully  with  the  famous  "Academy" 
to  discover  the  secret  of  the  Greek  drama.  It 
was  she  who  furthered  the  success  of  the  em- 
bryo operas  of  Emilio  del  Cavalieri,  late  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  roused  enthusiasm  by 
her  splendid  interpretation  for  Jacopo  Peri's 
"Eurydice,"  the  first  opera  presented  to  the 
public.  She  was  called  "Euterpe"  by  her  Italian 
contemporaries  because  her  superb  voice,  art- 
istic skill,  musical  fire  and  intelligence  fitted  her 
to  be  the  muse  of  music.  Her  memory  has  been 
too  little  honored. 

When  Lully  was  giving  opera  to  France  he 
secured  the  co-operation  of  Marthe  le  Rochois. 

183 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

a  gifted  student  of  declamation  and  song  at 
the  Paris  Academic  Royale  de  Musique,  for 
whose  establishment  he  had  obtained  letters 
patent  in  1672.  So  great  was  his  confidence 
in  her  judgment  that  he  consulted  her  in  all 
that  pertained  to  his  work.  Her  greatest  pub- 
lic triumph  was  in  his  "Armide."  This  earliest 
French  queen  of  song  is  described  as  a  brunette, 
with  mediocre  figure  and  plain  face,  who  had 
wonderful  magnetism  and  sparkling  black  eyes 
that  mirrored  the  changeful  sentiments  of  an 
impassioned  soul.  Her  acting  and  voice-control 
were  pronounced  remarkable.  Her  superior 
powers,  unspoiled  simplicity,  frankness  and 
generosity  are  extolled  by  that  quaint  historian 
of  the  opera,  Dury  de  Noinville.  On  her  re- 
tirement from  the  stage,  in  1697,  the  king 
awarded  her  a  pension  of  1,000  livres  in  token 
of  appreciation,  and  to  this  the  Due  de  Sully 
added  500  livres.  She  died  in  Paris  in  the 
seventieth  year  of  her  age,  her  home  having 
long  been  the  resort  of  eminent  artists  and 
literary  people. 

Katherine  Tofts,   who  made  Her  debut  in 

J84 


Queens  of  Song 

Clayton's  "Arsinoe,  Queen  of  Cyprus,"  about 
1702,  was  the  first  dramatic  songstress  of  Eng- 
lish birth,  and  is  described  by  Colley  Cibber  as 
a  beautiful  woman  with  a  clear,  silvery-toned, 
flexible  soprano.  Her  professional  career 
brought  her  fortune  as  well  as  fame,  but  was 
short-lived.  In  the  height  of  her  bloom  her 
reason  gave  way,  and  although  judicious  treat- 
ment restored  it  for  a  time,  she  did  not  return 
to  the  stage.  As  the  wife  of  Mr.  Joseph  Smith, 
art  connoisseur  and  collector  of  rare  books  and 
prints,  she  went  to  Venice,  where  her  husband 
was  British  Consul,  and  lived  in  much  state 
until,  her  malady  returning,  it  became  necessary 
to  seclude  her.  Wandering  through  the  garden 
of  her  home  she  fancied  herself  the  queen  of 
former  days.  Steele,  in  the  "Tattler,"  at- 
tributes her  disorder  to  her  stage  habit  of  ab- 
sorbing herself  in  imaginary  great  personages. 
f<  While  Mrs.  Tofts  reigned  in  Clayton's  opera, 
Signora  Francesca  Margarita  de  1'Epine,  a 
native  of  Tuscany,  sang  Italian  airs  before  and 
after  it.  Tall,  swarthy,  brusque  in  manner,  she 
had  a  voice  and  a  style  that  made  her  famous. 

185 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

It  was  she  who  inaugurated  the  custom  of 
giving  farewell  concerts.  Meeting  with  bril- 
liant success  at  a  performance  announced  as  her 
last  appearance,  "she  continued,"  says  Dr.  Bur- 
ney,  "to  sing  more  last  and  positively  last  times 
and  never  left  England  at  all."  There  was  a 
rivalry  between  the  two  queens  of  song,  which 
being  a  novelty,  furnished  gossip  and  laughter 
for  all  London.  Hughes,  that  "agreeable  poet," 
wrote  of  it : 

"Music  has  learned  the  discords  of  the  State, 
And  concerts  jar  zuith  Whig  and  Tory  hate." 

Retiring  in  1722  with  a  fortune  of  ten  thou- 
sand pounds,  Margarita  married  the  learned 
Dr.  Pepusch,  who  was  enabled  by  her  means  to 
pursue  with  ease  his  scientific  studies.  In  his 
library  she  found  Queen  Elizabeth's  Virginal 
Book,  and  being  a  skilled  harpsichordist,  she 
so  well  mastered  its  intricacies  that  people 
thronged  to  her  -home  to  hear  her  play. 

London  was  divided  by  another  pair  of  rival 
queens  of  song  in  1725-6.  One  of  these,  Fran- 

186 


Queens  of  Song 

cesca  Cuzzoni,  a  native  of  Parma,  had  created 
such  a  furore  on  her  first  appearance,  three 
years  earlier,  that  the  opera  directors  who  had 
engaged  her  for  the  season  at  two  thousand 
guineas  were  encouraged  to  charge  four  guineas 
for  admission,  and  her  costumes  were  adopted 
by  fashionable  youth  and  beauty.  Although 
ugly  and  ill-made,  she  had  a  sweet,  clear 
dramatic  contralto  with  unrivalled  high  notes, 
intonations  so  fixed  it  seemed  impossible  for  her 
to  sing  out  of  tune,  and  a  native  flexibility  that 
left  unimpeded  her  creative  fancy.  Handel,  in 
whose  operas  she  sang,  composed  airs  calculated 
to  display  her  charms,  but  she,  confident  of  her 
supremacy,  rewarded  him  with  conduct  so 
capricious  that,  finding  her  at  last  intolerable, 
he  sent  to  Italy  for  the  noble  Venetian  lady, 
Faustina  Bordoni.  She  was  elegant  in  figure, 
handsome  of  face,  had  an  amiable  disposition, 
a  ringing  mezzo-soprano,  with  a  compass  from 
B-flat  to  G  in  altissimo,  and  was  renowned  for 
her  brilliant  execution,  distinct  enunciation, 
beautiful  shake,  happy  memory  for  embellish- 
ments and  fine  expression. 

J87 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

However  pleased  the  directors  may  have  been 
at  first  to  have  two  popular  songstresses,  they 
were  soon  dismayed  at  the  fierce  rivalry  that 
sprang  up  between  them  and  was  fanned  to 
flames  by  Master  Handel  himself,  who  now 
composed  exclusively  for  Faustina.  By  in- 
creasing the  salary  of  her  more  tractable  rival 
they  finally  disposed  of  Cuzzoni,  who  thence- 
forth through  her  exaggerated  demands,  man- 
aged to  disgust  her  patrons  wherever  she  ap- 
peared. Her  reckless  extravagance  left  her 
wholly  destitute  after  losing  her  voice  and  her 
husband,  Signer  Sandoni,  a  harpsichord-maker. 
She  passed  her  last  years  in  Bologna,  subsisting 
on  a  miserable  pittance  earned  by  covering 
buttons. 

Faustina  married  Adolphe  Hasse,  the  Ger- 
man dramatic  composer,  and  at  forty-seven 
sang  before  Frederick  the  Great,  who  was 
charmed  with  the  freshness  of  her  voice.  The 
couple  lived  until  1783,  the  one  eighty-three, 
the  other  eighty-four  years  of  age.  Dr.  Bur- 
ney  visited  them  when  they  were  advanced  in 
the  seventies  and  found  Faustina  a  sprightly, 

188 


Queens  of  Song 

sensible  old  lady,  with  a  delightful  store  of 
reminiscences,  and  her  husband  a  communi- 
cative, rational  old  gentleman,  quite  free  from 
"pedantry,  pride  and  prejudice." 

Gertrude  Elizabeth  Mara,  Germany's  earliest 
noted  queen  of  song,  began  her  public  career  in 
1755  as  a  child  violinist  of  six,  traveling  with 
her  father,  Johann  Schmaling,  a  respectable 
musician  of  Hesse-Cassel.  In  London  her 
musical  gifts  proved  to  include  a  phenomenal 
soprano  voice,  which  developed  a  compass  from 
G  to  E  altissimo,  unrivalled  portamento  di  voce, 
pure  enunciation  and  precise  intonation.  She 
became  skilled  in  harmony,  theory,  sight-read- 
ing and  harpsichord  playing.  When  she  sang, 
her  glowing  countenance,  her  supreme  acting 
and  the  lights  and  shades  of  her  voice  made 
people  forget  the  plainness  of  her  features  and 
the  insignificance  of  her  form  and  stature.  Her 
rendering  of  Handel's  airs,  especially  "I  Know 
that  My  Redeemer  Liveth,"  was  pronounced 
faultless. 

Frederick  the  Great,  who  as  soon  expected 
pleasure  from  the  neighing  of  a  horse  as  from 

J89 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

a  German  songstress,  vanquished  on  hearing 
her,  retained  her  as  court  singer.  While  in  his 
service  she  became  the  wife  of  Jean  Mara,  a 
handsome,  dissipated  court  violoncellist,  whom 
she  loved  devotedly,  but  who  led  her  a  sorry 
life.  Returning  to  London  later  she  taught 
singing  at  two  guineas  a  lesson.  Upon  fear 
being  expressed  that  her  price,  double  that  of 
other  teachers,  would  limit  her  class,  she  said 
her  pupils  having  her  voice  as  a  model  could 
learn  in  half  the  time  required  for  those  who 
had  only  the  tinkling  of  a  piano  to  imitate. 
Though  she  believed  singing  should  be  taught 
by  a  singer,  a  tenderness  for  her  own  experience 
made  her  insist  that  the  best  way  to  begin  the 
musical  education  was  by  having  the  pupil 
learn  to  play  the  violin.  When  she  heard  a 
songstress  extolled  for  rapid  vocalization  she 
would  ask:  "Can  she  sing  six  plain  notes?" 
jThis  question  might  afford  young  singers  food 
for  reflection.  Madame  Mara  passed  her  de- 
, dining  years  teaching  singing  near  her  native 
'place,  and  died  at  Reval,  in  1833.  Two  years 

190 


Queens  of  Song 

earlier,  on  her  eighty-third  birthday,  Goethe 
offered  her  a  poetic  tribute. 

At  a  London  farewell  concert  given  by 
Madame  Mara  in  1802,  she  was  assisted  by 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Billington,  who  has  been  ranked 
first  among  English-born  queens  of  song.  Her 
pure  soprano  had  a  range  of  three  octaves,  from 
A  to  A,  with  flute-like  upper  tones.  She  sang 
with  neatness,  agility  and  precision,  could  de- 
tect the  least  false  intonation  of  instrument  or 
voice,  and  was  attractive  in  appearance.  Haydn 
eulogized  her  genius  in  his  diary,  and  in  the 
studio  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  who  was  paint- 
ing her  portrait  as  St.  Cecilia,  exclaimed :  "You 
have  represented  Mrs.  Billington  listening  to 
the  angels,  you  should  have  made  them  listening 
to  her."  It  was  she  who  introduced  Mozart's 
operas  into  England.  She  only  lived  to  be 
forty-eight,  breaking  down  in  1818,  from  the 
effects  of  brutal  treatment  of  her  second  hus- 
band, a  Frenchman,  named  Felissent. 

Last  of  the  eighteenth  century  queens  of  song 
was  Angelica  Catalani,  born  some  forty  miles 
from  Rome  in  1779,  destined  by  her  father,  a 

\9\ 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

local  magistrate,  for  the  cloister,  and  borne 
beyond  its  walls  by  her  magnificent  voice,  with 
its  compass  of  three  octaves,  from  G  to  G.  She 
is  described  as  a  tall,  fair  woman  with  a  splen- 
did presence,  large  blue  eyes,  features  of  per- 
fect symmetry  and  a  winning  smile.  So  great 
was  her  natural  facility  she  could  rise  with  ease 
from  the  faintest  sound  to  the  most  superb 
crescendo,  could  send  her  tones  sweeping 
through  the  air  with  the  most  delicious  un- 
dulations, imitating  the  swell  and  fall  of  a  bell, 
and  could  trill  like  a  bird  on  each  note  of  a 
chromatic  passage.  She  dazzled  her  listeners, 
but  left  the  heart  untouched. 

Her  domestic  life  was  a  happy  one,  and  her 
husband,  Captain  de  Vallebregue,  adored  her, 
although  he  knew  so  little  about  music  that 
once  when  she  complained  that  the  piano  was 
too  high  he  had  six  inches  cut  off  its  legs. 
Surrounded  by  adulation  at  home  and  abroad, 
her  self-conceit  became  inordinate,  tempting  her 
to  the  most  absurd  feats  of  skill.  Her  exces- 
sive love  of  display  and  lack  of  artistic  judg- 
ment and  knowledge  finally  led  her  so  far 

192 


Queens  of  Song 

astray  in  pitch  that  she  lost  all  prestige.  After 
seventeen  years  of  retirement,  she  died  of 
cholera  in  1849,  in  Paris.  A  few  days  before 
she  was  stricken  with  the  dire  epidemic  Jenny 
Lind  sought  and  received  her  blessing. 

A  queen  of  song  who  profoundly  impressed 
her  age  was  Giuditta  Pasta,  born  near  Milan 
in  1798,  of  Hebrew  parentage.  For  her  Bellini 
wrote  "La  Sonnambula"  and  "Norma,"  Doni- 
zetti his  "Anna  Bolena,"  Pacini  his  "Niobe," 
and  she  was  the  star  of  Rossini's  leading  operas 
of  the  time.  Her  voice,  a  mezzo-soprano,  at 
first  unequal,  weak,  of  slender  range  and  lack- 
ing flexibility,  acquired,  through  her  wonderful 
genius  and  industry  a  range  of  two  octaves  and 
a  half,  reaching  D  in  altissimo,  together  with 
a  sweetness,  a  fluency,  and  a  chaste,  expressive 
style.  Although  below  medium  height,  in  im- 
passioned moments  she  seemed  to  rise  to 
queenly  stature.  Both  acting  and  singing  were 
governed  by  ripe  judgment,  profound  sensi- 
bility and  noble  simplicity.  She  died  at  Lake 
Como  in  1865. 

So  many  queens  of  song  have  reigned  from 

193 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  to  the 
present  time  that  only  a  few  brilliant  names 
may  here  be  mentioned.  Among  these  Henri- 
etta Sontag  was  the  greatest  German  singer  of 
the  first  half  of  the  century.  A  distinguished 
traveler  tells  of  having  found  her  when  she 
was  eight  years  old,  in  1812,  sitting  on  a  table, 
where  her  mother  had  placed  her,  and  singing 
the  grand  aria  of  the  Queen  of  the  Night  from 
the  "Magic  Flute,"  her  voice,  "pure,  penetrating 
and  of  angelic  tone,"  flowing  as  "unconsciously 
as  a  limpid  rill  from  the  mountain  side."  At 
fifteen  she  made  her  regular  debut,  and  we  are 
told  that  she  sang  "with  the  volubility  of  a 
bird."  During  her  four  years  at  the  Con- 
servatory of  Prague  she  had  won  the  prize  in 
every  class  of  vocal  music,  piano  and  harmony. 
Acquitting  herself  with  ease  in  both  German 
and  Italian,  and  being  exceedingly  versatile, 
she  won  equal  renown  in  the  operas  of  Weber, 
Mozart,  Rossini,  and  Donizetti.  Paris,  in 
special,  marveled  at  the  little  German  who  could 
give  satisfaction  in  Grand  Opera.  Her  voice, 
a  pure  soprano,  reached  to  D  in  alt.,  with  upper 

J94 


Queens  of  Song 

notes  like  silvery  bell-tones,  and  its  natural  pli- 
ability was  cultivated  by  taste  and  incessant 
study.  She  was  of  medium  stature,  elegant 
form,  with  light  hair,  fair  complexion  and  soft, 
expressive  blue  eyes  that  lent  an  enchantment 
to  features  that  were  not  otherwise  striking. 
In  demeanor  she  was  artless,  unaffected  and 
ladylike.  Romantic  stories  were  continually  in 
circulation  regarding  suitors  for  her  hand.  As 
the  wife  of  Count  Rossi,  an  attache  of  the  Sar- 
dinian legation,  she  retired  to  private  life  in 
1830,  and  passed  many  happy  years  with  her 
husband  in  various  capitols  of  Europe.  When, 
in  1848,  owing  to  financial  shipwreck,  she  re- 
turned to  the  stage  her  voice  still  charmed  by 
its  exquisite  purity,  spirituelle  quality  and  su- 
preme finish.  In  1852  she  came  to  America  and 
created  an  immense  furore  in  the  musical  and 
fashionable  world.  She  died  of  cholera  in 
Mexico  in  1854. 

Born  the  same  year  as  Madame  Sontag  was 
Wilhelmine  Schroder-Devrient,  one  of  the 
world's  noblest  interpreters  of  German  opera 
and  German  Lieder,  although  surpassed  by 

195 


for  Every  Music  Lover 

others  in  vocal  resources.  She  grew  up  on  the 
stage,  and  was  trained  by  her  father,  Friedrich 
Schroder,  a  baritone  singer,  and  her  mother, 
Sophie  Schroder,  known  as  the  "Siddons  of 
Germany."  Her  dramatic  soprano  was  capable 
of  producing  the  most  tender,  powerful,  truth- 
ful and  intensely  thrilling  effects,  although  it 
was  not  specially  tractable  and  was  at  times 
even  harsh.  It  was  she  who  by  her  magnificent 
interpretation  of  Leonore,  in  Beethoven's 
"Fidelio,"  first  revealed  the  beauty  of  the  part 
to  the  public.  In  Wagner's  operas  she  appeared 
as  Senta,  in  the  "Flying  Dutchman";  Venus. 
in  "Tannhauser,"  and  actually  created  the  role 
of  Adriano  Colonna,  in  "Rienzi."  Goethe,  who 
had  earlier  failed  to  appreciate  Schubert's 
matchless  setting  to  his  "Erl  King,"  when  he 
heard  Madame  Schroder-Devrient  sing  it,  ex- 
claimed :  "Had  music  instead  of  words  been 
my  vehicle  of  thought,  it  is  thus  I  should  have 
framed  the  legend."  She  died  in  1860. 

Full  of  caprice,  radiating  the  fire  of  genius, 
wayward  and  playful  as  a  child,  Maria  Felicita 
Malibran  swept  like  a  dazzling  meteor  across 

196 


Queens  of  Song 

the  musical  firmament.  M.  Arthur  Pougin 
thus  epitomizes  her  story: 

"Daughter  of  a  Spaniard,  born  in  France, 
married  in  America,  died  in  England,  buried 
in  Belgium.  Comedienne  at  five,  married  at 
seventeen,  dead  at  twenty-eight — immortal. 
Beautiful,  brilliant,  gay  as  a  ray  of  sunlight, 
with  frequent  shadings  of  melancholy;  heart 
full  of  warmth  and  abandon;  devoted  to  the 
point  of  sacrifice;  courageous  to  temerity;  ar- 
dent for  pleasure  as  for  work ;  with  a  will  and 
energy  indomitable.  A  singer  without  a  peer, 
and  a  lyric  tragedienne  capable  of  exciting  the 
instinctive  enthusiasm  of  the  masses  and  the 
reasonable  admiration  of  connoisseurs.  Pian- 
ist, composer,  poet,  she  drew  and  painted  with 
taste ;  spoke  fluently  five  languages ;  was  expert 
in  all  feminine  work,  skilled  in  sport  and  out- 
door exercises,  and  possessed  of  a  striking 
originality.  Such  was  Malibran  in  part,  for 
the  whole  could  never  be  expressed." 

Her  genius  developed  under  the  iron  control 
of  her  father,  Manuel  del  Popolo  Garcia,  who 
compelled  to  submission  her  seemingly  intract- 

J97 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

able  voice  until  it  became  sonorous,  superb,  a 
brilliant  and  fascinating  contralto,  with  a  range 
of  over  three  octaves,  reaching  E  in  alt.  Her 
own  indomitable  will  and  exceptional  artistic 
intelligence  were  prime  factors  in  the  training. 
In  her  heart-searching  tones  and  passionate  act- 
ing her  glowing  soul  was  felt.  When  she  was 
but  seventeen,  her  father,  seeking  an  ideal 
climate,  started  with  his  family  for  Mexico.  In 
New  York  she  contracted  her  unfortunate  mar- 
riage with  the  French  banker,  M.  Malibran. 
She  soon  returned  to  Paris  and  the  stage,  and 
later  having  obtained  a  divorce,  married  the 
famous  violinist  De  Beriot,  with  whom  she 
had  a  brief  but  happy  union. 

Madame  Malibran  was  said  to  be  equally  at 
home  in  any  known  school  of  her  time. 
Mozart  and  Cimarosa,  Boieldieu  and  Rossini, 
Cherubini  and  Bellini  were  all  grasped  with  the 
same  sympathetic  comprehension.  Sontag  was 
her  rival,  Pasta  was  yet  in  the  height  of  her 
fame,  but  no  contrasts  whatever  dimmed  the 
glory  of  Malibran.  A  rare  personal  charm 
added  to  her  artistic  graces.  Mr.  Chorley  de- 

J98 


Queens  of  Song 

scribing  her,  in  his  recollections,  said  that  she 
was  better  than  beautiful,  insomuch  as  a 
"speaking  Spanish  human  countenance  by 
Murillo  is  ten  times  more  fascinating  than 
many  a  faultless  face  such  as  Guido  could 
paint."  When  her  death  was  announced,  in 
1836,  Ole  Bull,  who  had  known  her  well,  ex- 
claimed :  "I  cannot  realize  it.  A  woman  with 
a  soul  of  fire,  so  highly  endowed,  so  intense. 
How  I  wept  on  seeing  her  as  Desdemona!  It 
is  not  possible  she  is  dead." 

Pauline  Garcia,  thirteen  years  younger  than 
her  remarkable  sister,  and  with  a  voice  similar 
in  quality,  also  did  justice  to  her  father's  rigor- 
ous discipline  and  became  famous.  She  mar- 
ried M.  Viardot,  opera  director  and  critic,  and 
after  a  brilliant  career  as  a  singer,  gave  long 
and  valuable  service  as  a  vocal  teacher  in  Paris. 
She  remained  in  the  full  tide  of  her  activity 
until  she  was  long  past  the  allotted  threescore 
years  and  ten.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that 
Madame  Mathilde  Marchesi,  author  of  a  noted 
vocal  method,  24  books  of  Vocalises,  a  volume 
of  reminiscences,  and  other  works,  and  once 

199 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

famed  as  a  singer,  is  only  five  years  younger 
than  Madame  Viardot-Garcia,  but  at  seventy- 
six  is  still  teaching — still  shining  as  an  author- 
ity on  the  art  of  song.  Singers  seem  often  to 
have  been  long-lived.  In  truth,  there  is  that  in 
music  which  is  life-giving. 

A  songstress  whose  name  will  always  be 
mentioned  in  the  same  breath  with  that  of  the 
tenor  Mario,  who  became  her  husband,  and 
with  whom  she  toured  the  United  States  in 
1854,  was  Giulia  Grisi.  She  was  born  in  Milan 
in  1812,  made  her  debut  at  sixteen,  and  had  an 
undisputed  reign  of  over  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
Her  voice,  a  pure  soprano  of  finest  quality,  bril- 
liant and  vibrating,  spanned  two  octaves,  from 
C  to  C.  She  possessed  the  gift  of  beauty,  and 
was  said  to  unite  the  tragic  inspiration  of  Pasta 
with  the  fire  and  energy  of  Malibran.  A  favor- 
ite role  with  her  was  that  of  the  Druid  priestess 
in  "Norma."  Her  delivery  of  "Casta  Diva" 
was  said  to  be  a  transcendant  effort  of  vocaliza- 
tion. 

Living  to-day  in  London  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-seven  is  the  elder  brother  of  Mali- 
200 


Queens  of  Song 

bran  and  Viardot-Garcia,  Manuel  Garcia,  the 
inventor  of  the  laryngoscope,  author  of  the  re- 
nowned "Art  of  Song,"  and  teacher  of  Jenny 
Lind.  It  was  in  1841  that  the  ever-beloved 
Swedish  Nightingale,  then  twenty-one  years 
old,  sought  him  in  Paris,  with  a  voice  worn 
from  over-exertion  and  lack  of  proper  manage- 
ment. In  ten  months  she  had  gained  all  that 
master  could  teach  her  in  tone  production, 
blending  of  the  registers  and  breath-control. 
Her  own  genius,  her  splendid  individuality,  her 
indefatigable  perseverance,  did  the  rest  in  in- 
vesting her  dramatic  soprano  with  that  sympa- 
thetic timbre,  that  power  of  expressing  every 
phase  of  her  artistic  conception,  that  bird-like 
quality  of  the  upper  notes,  that  marvelous 
beauty  and  equality  of  the  entire  range  of  two 
octaves  and  three  quarters  (from  B  below  the 
stave  to  G  on  the  fourth  line),  that  exquisite 
sonority,  that  penetrating  pianissimo,  that  un- 
rivalled messa  di  voce,  that  mastery  over  tech- 
nique of  which  so  much  has  been  written  and 
said. 
Jenny  Lind  was  to  Sweden  what  Ole  Bull 

20J 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

was  to  Norway,  the  inspirer  of  noble  achieve- 
ment. The  faithful  interpreter  of  the  acknowl- 
edged masterpieces  of  genius  in  opera,  oratorio 
and  song,  she  also  freely  poured  forth  in 
gracious  waves  the  poetic,  the  rugged,  and  the 
exquisitely  polished  lays  of  the  Northland, 
making  them  known  for  the  first  time  to  thou- 
sands of  people.  It  was  through  her  pure  and 
noble  womanhood,  quite  as  much  as  through 
her  artistic  excellence  that  she  swayed  the  pub- 
lic and  left  so  deep  and  enduring  an  impres- 
sion. True  to  the  backbone  in  her  artistic 
allegiance,  she  believed  that  art,  the  expression 
and  embodiment  of  the  spiritual  principle  ani- 
mating it,  could  not  fail  to  elevate  to  a  high 
spiritual  and  moral  standard  the  genuine 
artist. 

She  had  lived  thirty-five  happy  years  with 
her  husband,  Mr.  Otto  Goldschmidt,  pianist, 
conductor  and  composer,  who  still  survives  her, 
when  death  overtook  her  at  their  home  on  the 
Malvern  Hills,  November  2,  1887.  When  the 
end  drew  near,  one  of  her  daughters  threw 
open  the  window  shutters  to  admit  the  morning 

202 


Queens  of  Song 

sun.  As  it  came  streaming  into  the  room, 
Jenny  Lind  uplifted  her  voice,  and  it  rang  out 
firm  and  clear  as  she  sang  the  opening  measures 
of  Schumann's  glorious  "To  the  Sunshine." 
The  notes  were  her  last.  A  bust  of  her  was 
unveiled  in  Westminster  Abbey  in  1894. 

A  Swedish  songstress  with  a  powerful,  well- 
trained  voice,  who  before  Jenny  Lind  won 
operatic  laurels  in  foreign  lands,  was  Henrietta 
Nissen-Saloman,  also  a  pupil  of  Garcia.  Later, 
the  brilliant  Swedish  soprano,  Christine 
Nilsson,  with  a  voice  of  wonderful  sweetness 
and  beauty,  reaching  with  ease  F  in  alt.,  with 
the  most  thorough  skill  in  vocalization,  with 
dramatic  intuitions,  expressive  powers  and 
magnetic  presence,  charmed  the  public  on  two 
continents  in  such  roles  as  Marguerite,  Mignon, 
Elsa,  Ophelia  and  Lucia.  She,  too,  bore  through 
the  world  with  her  the  northern  songs  she  had 
learned  to  cherish  in  childhood. 

Still  another  delightful  dramatic  soprano 
from  the  land  of  Jenny  Lind  is  Sigrid  Arnold- 
son,  who  has  a  beautiful  voice,  winning  per- 

203 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

sonality,  and  pronounced  musical  intelligence. 
She  is  still  in  her  prime. 

When  the  name  of  Adelina  Patti  is  men- 
tioned, we  always  think  of  long  enduring  vocal 
powers,  many  farewells  and  high  prices.  Cata- 
lani,  in  her  full  splendor,  earned  about  $100,000 
a  season.  Malibran's  profits  for  eighty-five 
concerts  at  La  Scala  ran  to  $95,000.  Jenny 
Lind  received  $208,675  for  ninety-five  concerts 
under  Barnum's  management.  Patti  has  had 
as  much  as  $8,395  f°r  one  performance,  and 
long  received  a  fee  of  $5,000  a  night.  In  color- 
atura roles  she  has  been  pronounced  the  great- 
est singer  of  her  time,  both  in  opera  and  con- 
cert. Her  voice,  noted  for  its  wide  compass, 
exceeding  sweetness,  marvelous  flexibility  and 
perfect  equality,  has  been  so  wonderfully  well 
cared  for  that  even  now,  in  her  sixtieth  year, 
she  enjoys  singing,  although  she  rarely  appears 
in  public.  Her  sister,  Carlotta,  was  also  a 
coloratura  vocalist  of  exquisite  technique. 

Queens  of  song  now  pass  in  swift  review 
before  the  mind's  eye.  We  recall  Marietta 
Alboni,  the  greatest  contralto  of  the  middle  of 

204 


Queens  of  Song 

the  last  century,  with  a  voice  rich,  mellow, 
liquid,  pure  and  endowed  with  passionate  ten- 
derness, the  only  pupil  of  Rossini;  Theresa 
Tietiens,  with  her  mighty  dramatic  soprano, 
whose  tones  were  softer  than  velvet,  and  her 
noble  acting;  Marie  Piccolomini,  a  winning 
mezzo-soprano;  Parepa  Rosa,  with  her  sweet, 
strong  voice  and  imposing  stage  presence; 
Pescha  Leutner,  the  star  of  1856;  Louisa  Pyne, 
the  English  Sontag;  Parodi,  pupil  of  Pasta; 
Etelka  Gerster,  whose  beautiful  soprano  could 
fascinate  if  it  could  not  awe;  Pauline  Lucca, 
whose  originality,  artistic  temperament  and  in- 
telligence placed  her  in  the  front  rank  of 
dramatic  sopranos,  and  many  others. 

Amalie  Materna,  dramatic  soprano  at  the 
Vienna  Court  Theatre  from  1869  to  1896,  with 
great  musical  and  dramatic  intelligence,  with  a 
voice  of  remarkable  compass,  volume,  richness 
and  sustaining  power,  vibrant  with  passionate 
intensity,  and  with  a  noble  stage  presence, 
proved  to  be  Wagner's  ideal  Briinnhilde  and  in- 
troduced the  role  at  Bayreuth  in  1876.  She 
was  also  the  creator  of  Kundry  at  the  same 

205 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

place  in  1882.  She  aroused  unbounded  en- 
thusiasm as  Elizabeth  in  "Tannhauser,"  and 
as  Isolde  in  "Tristan  and  Isolde."  She  is  not 
forgotten  by  those  who  heard  her  in  various 
cities  of  this  country. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  Marianne  Brandt, 
who  sang  the  part  of  Kundry  at  the  second 
"Parsifal"  representation  at  Bayreuth,  having 
been  Frau  Materna's  alternate  in  1882.  With 
her  superbly  rich,  deep-toned  voice  and  her 
splendid  vocal  and  dramatic  control  she  thrilled 
her  audiences  in  her  Wagnerian  roles,  in  Bee- 
thoven's "Fidelio,"  and  in  all  she  attempted, 
whether  in  opera  or  concert.  She  was  a  mag- 
nificent horsewoman,  and  was  perhaps  the  only 
Briinnhilde  who  was  able  to  give  full  play  on 
the  stage  to  her  Valkyrie  charger.  It  is  told 
by  an  eye  witness  that  before  a  first  appearance 
in  a  German  city  she  was  borne  furiously  on 
the  stage  at  rehearsal  by  her  spirited,  prancing 
steed,  and  when  she  drew  him  up  suddenly, 
rearing  and  pawing  the  air,  near  the  footlights. 
the  members  of  the  orchestra  dropped  their 
instruments  and  fled  affrighted.  It  was  not 

206 


Queens  of  Song 

long,  however,  before  she  succeeded  in  winning 
their  confidence,  and  all  went  well  at  the  even- 
ing performance. 

Six  more  radiant  queens  of  song  whose  reign 
belongs  to  these  modern  times  must  be  men- 
tioned in  conclusion :  Sembrich,  Nordica, 
Calve,  Melba,  Sanderson  and  Eames.  These 
are  but  a  few  of  the  many  present  day  rulers 
in  the  realms  of  song. 

Marcella  Sembrich,  a  coloratura  soprano 
from  Galicia,  has  a  light,  penetrating,  marvel- 
ously  sweet,  and  exceedingly  flexible  voice, 
with  an  almost  perfect  vocal  mechanism.  As 
one  of  her  admirers  has  said,  her  tones  are  as 
clear  as  silver  bells,  and  there  is  something 
buoyant  and  jubilant  in  her  mode  of  song. 
With  her  genuine  art  and  engaging  personality 
she  holds  her  audiences  entranced  and,  being 
wise  enough  to  keep  within  her  special  genre, 
she  always  succeeds  as  an  actress.  She  is  a 
pupil  of  the  Lampertis,  father  and  son,  studied 
the  piano  with  Liszt,  becoming  an  excellent 
interpreter  of  Chopin,  and  is  no  mean  violinist. 

An   American,   born   in   Farmington,    Me., 

207 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Lillian  Nordica  pursued  her  vocal  and  musical 
studies  at  the  New  England  Conservatory,  in 
Boston,  and  after  much  experience  in  church, 
concert  and  oratorio  singing,  studied  for  the 
opera  in  Milan,  under  Signer  Sangiovanni. 
She  made  her  operatic  debut  at  Brescia  in 
"Traviata,"  and  in  Paris  as  Marguerite,  in 
"Faust."  Her  superb,  liquid  soprano  is  pure, 
smooth  and  equal  throughout  its  entire  large 
compass.  She  combines  feeling  with  that  artis- 
tic understanding  which  regulates  it,  and  has 
been  pronounced  one  of  the  most  conscientious 
and  intelligent  singers  of  the  day.  An  admir- 
able actress  and  extremely  versatile,  she  has 
been  successful  in  Mozart's  operas,  and  has 
won  high  renown  in  her  Wagnerian  roles. 

Emma  Calve,  a  Spaniard,  possessed  of  all  a 
Spaniard's  fire,  thrills,  bewilders,  her  hearers, 
though  the  more  thoughtful  among  them 
wonder  if  they  were  not  moved  rather  by  her 
tremendous  passionate  force  and  powerful  mag- 
netism than  by  her  vocal  and  histrionic  art. 
Her  voice  is  superb,  yet  she  often  loses  a  vocal 
opportunity  for  dramatic  effect,  often  mars  its 

208 


Queens  of  Song 

beauty  in  the  excitement  that  tears  a  passion  to 
tatters.  Withal  there  is  a  charm  to  her  singing 
that  can  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  have 
heard  it.  Her  first  triumph  was  won  as  the 
interpreter  of  Santuzza,  in  "Cavalleria  Rus- 
ticana,"  Mascagni  himself  preparing  her  for 
the  role.  She  next  created  a  furore  as  Carmen, 
and  with  her  fascinating  gestures,  complete 
abandon,  grace,  and  dazzling  beauty  made  the 
part  one  of  the  most  original  and  bewitching 
impersonations  on  the  stage. 

The  Australian,  Nellie  Melba,  who  takes  her 
stage  name  from  Melbourne,  her  birthplace,  has 
been  compared  to  Patti  as  a  vocal  technician. 
Her  voice  is  divine,  but  she  seems  powerless  to 
animate  her  brilliant  singing  with  the  warmth 
that  glows  in  her  eyes.  As  an  actress  she  com- 
pletely veils  whatever  emotions  she  may  feel, 
and  while  her  marvelous  vocalization  over- 
whelms her  audiences,  she  meets  with  her 
greatest  triumphs  in  operas  that  make  the  least 
demands  on  the  dramatic  powers. 

Massenet  wrote  the  title  roles  of  his  "Esclar- 
monde"  and  his  "Thais"  for  a  California  girl, 

209 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Sybil  Sanderson,  and  himself  trained  her  for 
their  stage  presentation.  Her  success  was  as- 
sured when  she  made  her  debut  in  the  first- 
named  opera  at  the  Opera  Comique,  in  Paris, 
in  1889.  She  has  a  voice  of  that  light,  pure, 
flexible  quality  so  characteristic  of  our  country- 
women, and  is  an  admirable  actress.  She  is  a 
pupil  of  Madame  Marchesi. 

Another  distinguished  pupil  of  the  same 
teacher  is  Emma  Eames,  who  was  born  in 
China  of  New  England  parents,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  Boston  and  in  Paris.  Her  voice  too  is 
exceedingly  flexible,  is  fresh,  pure  and  clear, 
her  intonations  are  correct  and  her  personality 
most  attractive.  She  has  been  very  successful 
in  Wagnerian  roles,  makes  a  superb  Elsa,  and, 
in  the  "Meistersinger,"  an  ideal  Eva.  During 
her  early  years  on  the  stage  her  extreme  calm- 
ness amounted  almost  to  aggravating  frigidity, 
but  with  time  she  has  thawed.  She  may  well 
be  considered  a  conscientious  artist  endowed 
with  rare  musical  intuition. 

There  is  no  possession  more  perishable,  more 
delicate,  than  the  human  voice.  When  one 

210 


Queens  of  Song 

considers  the  joy  it  is  capable  of  shedding  about 
it,  the  blessings  that  may  follow  in  its  train,  it 
seems  sad  to  think  of  the  reckless  waste  caused 
by  its  neglect  and  mismanagement.  Its  life  is 
brief  enough  at  best.  Let  it  be  cherished  to 
the  utmost. 

In  America  where  there  are  to-day  more 
fine  voices  among  women  than  in  any  other 
country  and  where  time  and  means  are  so  freely 
expended  on  the  musical  education  of  girls,  the 
twentieth  century  should  produce  nobler  queens 
of  song  than  the  world  has  yet  known.  First, 
the  American  girl  must  learn  that  the  real 
things  of  life  are  more  to  be  prized  than  false 
semblances,  and  that  genuine  musical  culture 
resting  on  a  foundation  built  with  painstaking 
care  and  consecrated  artistic  zeal,  is  of  far 
higher  and  more  enduring  value  than  the  most 
dazzling  feats  of  display  which  lack  solid,  in- 
trinsic support. 


2\\ 


The  Opera,  and  Its  Reformers 

THE  evolution  of  the  drama  is  intimately 
associated  with  that  of  music  and  both  are  in- 
separably entwined  with  the  unfolding  of  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  human  race.  Man  is  essen- 
tially dramatic  by  nature,  and  both  history  and 
tradition  show  it  to  have  been  among  his  earli- 
est instincts  to  express  his  inner  emotions  by  ac- 
tion and  song. 

From  this  tendency  arose  the  Greek  religious 
drama.  We  find  it  in  legendary  times  at  the 
altar  of  Dionysus,  master  of  the  resources  of 
vitality,  in  whose  train  followed  the  Muses, 
actual  leaders  and  conductors  of  human  ex- 
istence. At  seed-time  and  harvest  festivals  a 
rude  chorus,  grouped  about  the  altar,  told  the 

2J3 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

story  of  the  god's  wanderings  and  adventures, 
in  simple  words,  accompanied  by  gesture,  dance 
and  music.  This  expression  of  thought  and 
feeling  mirrored  the  emotions  of  the  worship- 
ers, kindled  the  imagination,  and  strengthened 
the  innate  instinct  for  freedom.  Gradually 
the  narrative  detaching  itself  from  the  choral 
parts  fell  to  individual  singers,  the  acting  be- 
came more  and  more  a  distinct  feature  of  the 
occasion,  ever  increasing  dramatic  quality 
characterized  the  song,  and  the  materials  were 
at  hand  for  the  Greek  drama  so  fruitful  to  us 
in  its  results. 

Greek  poetry,  in  its  matchless  beauty,  may 
still  be  enjoyed  by  all  who  have  powers  of 
literary  appreciation.  Of  Greek  music  we 
know  little  beyond  the  theories  which  form  the 
basis  for  modern  musical  science  and  the  fact 
that  it  was  highly  esteemed.  Aristotle  tells 
us  that  it  was  an  essential  element  in  Greek 
stage  plays  and  their  greatest  embellishment. 
Both  yEschylus  and  Sophocles  were  practical 
musicians  and  composed  music  for  their 
dramas.  Euripides,  less  musician  than  poet, 

2J4 


CORELLI 


214 


The  Opera.  a.nd  Its  Reformers 

was  at  least  able  to  have  the  music  for  his 
works  prepared  under  his  direction.  Indeed, 
words,  music  and  scenic  effect  were  insepara- 
bly connected  in  the  Greek  dramas. 

The  enthusiasm  these  aroused  is  indicated 
by  the  fact  that  travelers  from  distant  lands 
undertook  perilous  journeys  to  attend  the  fa- 
mous performances  at  Athens,  often  remain- 
ing in  their  seats  twenty-four  hours  before  the 
play  began  in  order  to  secure  desirable  places. 
Fully  fifty  thousand  spectators  could  be  ac- 
commodated in  the  Lenaean  Theatre,  whose 
stage  machinery  would  make  ours  seem  like  a 
toy  model.  Many  of  its  theatrical  exhibitions 
cost  more  than  the  Peloponnesian  War. 

In  Greek  life,  at  the  period  of  its  glory,  music 
and  the  drama  were  esteemed  elevating  factors 
in  culture.  The  supreme  things  of  human  ex- 
istence were  pictured  in  them.  They  ex- 
pressed the  world-view  of  an  entire  people. 
Under  Roman  dominion,  with  its  corrupting 
slavery,  they  degenerated  into  mere  sources  of 
diversion,  and  finally  became  associated  with 
evil  and  degrading  practices. 

215 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

For  this  reason  and  because  at  best  they 
represented  pagan  ideals,  theatrical  represen- 
tations were  discouraged  by  the  fathers  of  the 
primitive  Christian  Church.  The  dramatic  in- 
stinct was  not  condemned,  and  its  imperative 
needs  were  appealed  to  in  the  church  service, 
which  early  set  forth  in  symbols  all  that  was  too 
mysterious  and  awe-inspiring  for  words.  In 
order  further  to  reach  the  mind  through  the 
senses,  scenes  from  the  Scriptures  were  read 
in  the  churches,  illustrated  with  living  pictures 
and  music.  Gradually  the  characters  person- 
ated began  to  speak  and  to  move.  The  drama 
rose  anew  at  the  foot  of  the  altar.  Christian 
priests  were  its  reformers,  its  guardians  and 
its  actors.  Designed  for  the  amusement  as 
well  as  the  instruction  of  the  gaping  multi- 
tudes, it  was  necessarily  a  pretty  crude  affair. 
Satan  was  introduced  as  the  clown,  and  laugh- 
ter was  provoked  at  his  discomfiture  when 
routed,  or  at  the  destruction  of  those  who  wil- 
fully cast  themselves  into  his  clutches.  It  is 
not  strange  that  the  pious  and  learned  St. 
Augustine,  in  the  fourth  century,  regretted  the 

2J6 


The  Opera.  a.nd  Its  Reformers 

polished  dramatic  performances  at  Alexandria 
that  in  his  youth  had  afforded  him  so  much 
genuine  enjoyment.  Among  the  people  the 
church  play  became  so  popular  that  in  the 
course  of  time  it  was  found  necessary  to  erect 
more  spacious  stages  in  the  open  air. 

Thus  arose  the  Mystery,  Miracle,  Morality 
and  Passion  Plays,  the  direct  progenitors  of 
the  Opera  and  the  Oratorio.  The  descent  of 
the  Opera  may  be  traced  also  to  another  source, 
to  the  secular  play  which  persisted  in  the  face 
of  ecclesiastical  disfavor  and  the  ban  that  ex- 
cluded its  players  from  the  church  sacraments. 

Strolling  histriones,  jongleurs  and  minstrels 
passed  from  court  to  court,  appeared  in  castle 
yards,  market  places  or  village  greens,  recited, 
acted,  sang,  danced  and  played  on  musical  in- 
struments. They  afforded  a  welcome  means 
of  communication  with  the  outside  world ;  they 
broke  up  the  monotony  of  life  when  events  were 
few.  As  modern  music  rests  on  the  two  pil- 
lars of  the  Gregorian  chant  and  the  folk-song, 
so  the  opera  rests  on  the  two  pillars  of  the  re- 
ligious drama  and  the  people's  play. 
2J7 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

During  the  high  tide  of  the  revival  of  Greek 
learning  in  Italy,  late  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
a  group  of  the  aspiring  young  nobility  of 
Florence,  gentlemen  and  gentlewomen,  adopt- 
ing the  dignified  name  of  the  "Academy,"  re- 
solved to  recover  the  much  discussed  music  of 
the  Greek  drama.  The  place  of  rendezvous  was 
the  palace  of  Count  Bardi,  a  member  of  one  of 
the  oldest  patrician  families  in  Tuscany.  Edi- 
fying discourse  and  laudable  exercises  were  in- 
dulged in  by  the  guests,  among  whom  were 
several  persons  of  genius  and  learning.  The 
meetings  were  presided  over  by  the  host,  him- 
self a  poet  and  composer,  as  well  as  a  patron 
of  the  fine  arts. 

The  culture  of  the  times  demanded  a  higher 
gratification  for  man's  dramatic  cravings  than 
either  rude  religious  or  secular  plays  afforded. 
Other  music  was  required  to  depict  the  emo- 
tions than  that  of  the  contrapuntist,  with  its 
puzzling  intricacies.  So  thought  these  ardent 
Hellenists,  and  a  burning  zeal  possessed  them 
to  mate  dramatic  poetry  with  a  music  that 
v.-ould  heighten  and  intensify  its  expression  and 

2J8 


The  Operac  a^nd  Its  Reformers 

effect.  They  who  seek  are  sure  to  find,  even 
if  it  be  not  always  the  object  of  their  search. 
In  the  earnest  quest  of  these  reformers  for 
dramatic  truth  an  unexpected  treasure  was 
disclosed. 

Vincenzo  Galilei,  father  of  Galileo  Galilei, 
opened  the  way.  He  was  the  active  champion 
of  monody,  in  which  a  principal  melody  was 
intoned  or  sung  to  the  accompaniment  of  subor- 
dinate harmonies,  believing  that  in  music  de- 
signed to  arouse  personal  feeling  individualism 
should  predominate.  The  art  music  of  the 
time  was  polyphonic,  that  is,  constructed  by  so 
interweaving  melodies  that  harmonies  resulted. 
Of  solos  in  our  modern  sense  nothing  was 
known  beyond  the  folk-songs,  instinctive  out- 
pourings of  the  human  heart,  and  these  learned 
composers  had  merely  used  as  pegs  on  which 
to  hang  their  counterpoint.  Not  content  with 
giving  his  ideas  to  the  world  in  the  form  of  a 
dialogue,  Galilei  composed  two  musical  mono- 
logues, between  1581  and  1590,  one  to  the 
scene  of  Count  Ugolino,  in  Dante's  "Inferno," 
and  one  to  a  passage  in  the  Lamentations  of 
2J9 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Jeremiah.  These  the  chroniclers  tell  us  he  sang 
very  sweetly,  accompanying  himself  on  the  lute. 
He  was  also  a  fine  performer  on  the  viola. 

A  dramatic  representation  at  a  court  mar- 
riage, in  1590,  in  which  the  artificially  con- 
structed ecclesiastical  music  illy  fitted  the  text 
lauding  the  bride's  loveliness,  gave  a  new  im- 
pulse to  the  "Academy"  efforts.  Soon  there 
was  produced  at  court,  by  a  company  of  high- 
born ladies  and  gentlemen,  two  pastoral  plays : 
"II  Satiro"  and  "La  Disperazione  di  Fileno," 
so  set  to  music  that  they  could  be  sung  or  de- 
claimed throughout.  The  author  of  the  text 
was  Signora  Laura  Guidiccioni,  of  the  Lucche- 
sini  family,  renowned  in  her  day  for  her  poetic 
gifts  and  brilliant  attainments.  Signor  Emilio 
del  Cavalieri  was  the  composer,  and  he  tri- 
umphantly announced  his  music  as  that  "of  the 
ancients  recovered,"  having  power  to  "excite 
grief,  pity,  joy  and  pleasure." 

These  two  "musical  dramas,"  as  they  vyere 
called,  contained  the  germs  of  modern  opera, 
despite  their  crudities  of  harmony  and  monoto- 
nous melody.  That  noble  songstress,  Vittoria 

220 


The  Opera.  a.nd  Its  Reformers 

Archilei,  known  as  "Euterpe"  among  her 
Italian  contemporaries,  greatly  enhanced  the 
success  of  the  new  venture  with  her  superb 
voice,  artistic  skill,  musical  fire  and  splendid  in- 
telligence. She  "whose  excellence  in  music  is 
generally  known,"  as  we  are  told,  and  who  was 
able  to  "draw  tears  from  her  audience"  at  the 
right  moment,  also  aroused  enthusiasm  for  a 
third  work  of  a  similar  nature  by  the  same  au- 
thors, "II  Giuco  della  Cieco,"  that  appeared  in 

1595- 

Besides  being  the  first  to  tell  the  entire  story 
of  a  play  musically  and  to  utilize  the  solo, 
Cavalieri  introduced  various  ornaments  into 
vocal  music  and  increased  the  demands  on  in- 
strumentation. He  did  not  succeed,  however, 
in  satisfying  the  Academicians  with  his  attempt 
to  grasp  the  medium  between  speech  and  song. 
and  his  choruses  were  thought  tedious  because 
of  their  employment  of  the  intricate  polyphonic 
style.  Further  reform  was  desired. 

This  came  through  Jacopo  Peri,  maestro  at 
the  Medician  court,  and  after  1601  at  the  court 
of  Ferrara.  In  studying  Greek  dramas,  as  he 
22J 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

states  in  one  of  his  writings,  he  became  con- 
vinced that  their  musical  expression  was  that  of 
highly  colored  emotional  speech.  Closely  ob- 
serving diverse  modes  of  utterance  in  daily  life, 
he  endeavored  to  reproduce  soft,  gentle  words 
by  half-spoken,  half-sung  tones,  sustained  by  an 
instrumental  bass,  and  to  express  excitement  by 
extended  intervals,  lively  tempo  and  suitable 
distribution  of  dissonances  in  the  accompani- 
ment. To  him  may  be  attributed  the  first 
dramatic  recitative.  It  appeared  in  his 
"Daphne,"  a  "Dramma  per  la  Musica,"  written 
to  text  by  the  poet  Rinuccini  and  privately  per- 
formed at  the  Palazzo  Corsi,  in  1597.  This 
was  actually  the  first  opera,  although  the  term 
was  not  applied  to  such  compositions  until  half 
a  century  later.  Several  solos  were  added  by 
the  court  singer,  Giulio  Caccini,  who  composed 
a  number  of  songs  for  a  single  voice,  "in  imita- 
tion of  Galilei,"  as  a  contemporary  stated,  "but 
in  a  more  beautiful  and  pleasing  style."  In- 
vited three  years  later  to  produce  a  similar  work 
for  the  festivities  attending  the  marriage  of 
Henry  IV.  of  France  with  Maria  di  Medici, 
222 


The  Opera.  a.nd  Its  Reformers 

Peri  wrote  his  "Eurydice,"  and  once  more  Sig- 
nora  Archilei  interpreted  the  leading  role, 
greatly  to  the  composer's  satisfaction.  It  was 
the  first  opera  performed  in  public.  The  sing- 
ing had  a  bald  accompaniment  of  an  orchestra 
placed  behind  the  scenes  and  consisting  of  a 
clavicembalo,  or  harpsichord,  a  viola  da  gamba, 
a  theorbo,  or  large  lute,  and  a  flute,  the  last 
being  used  to  imitate  Pan-pipes  in  the  hands  of 
one  of  the  characters. 

Seven  years  afterward,  for  another  court 
marriage,  a  musical  drama  was  written  by  a 
man  of  genius  who  completely  broke  the  fetters 
of  ancient  polyphony.  This  was  Gaudio 
Monteverde,  then  in  his  thirty-ninth  year,  and 
chapel  master  to  the  Duke  of  Mantua.  He  was 
the  first  composer  to  use  unprepared  chords  of 
the  seventh,  dominant  and  diminished,  and  to 
emphasize  passionate  situations  with  <1 
nances.  He  invented  the  tremolo  and  the  piz- 
zicato, and  originated  the  vocal  duet.  His  keen 
dramatic  sense  enabled  him  to  arouse  interest 
through  contrasts,  conspicuously  characteristic 
passages,  and  independent  orchestral  preludes, 
223 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

interludes  and  bits  of  descriptive  tone-painting. 

His  opera,  "Orfeo,"  1608,  had  an  orchestra 
of  two  harpsichords,  two  bass  viols,  two  violas 
cli  gamba,  ten  tenor  viols,  two  little  French 
violins,  one  harp,  two  large  guitars,  three  small 
organs,  four  trombones,  two  cornets,  one  pic- 
colo, one  clarion  and  three  trumpets.  In  "Tan- 
credi  e  Clorinda,"  produced  in  Venice,  in  1624, 
a  string  quartet  indicated  the  galloping  of 
horses,  a  prototype  of  the  "Ride  of  the  Valky- 
ries." Like  Abbe  Liszt,  he  took  holy  orders 
late  in  life,  without  ceasing  to  compose.  At 
seventy-four  years  of  age,  when  the  fire  of  his 
genius  burned  brightly  as  ever,  he  wrote  his 
last  opera  "L'Incoronazione  di  Poppea."  It 
may  truly  be  said  that  Monteverde  was  the 
great  operatic  reformer,  the  Wagner,  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  as  Gluck  was  of  the  eigh- 
teenth. 

An  epoch-making  event  in  opera  history  was 
the  opening,  in  1637,  of  the  first  public  opera 
house  in  commercial  Venice  whose  wealth 
afforded  her  citizens  leisure  to  cultivate  art. 
Soon  popular  demand  led  to  the  erection  of 

224 


The  Opera.  CLi\d  Its  Reformers 

many  Italian  opera-houses.  At  the  same  time 
growing  taste  for  magnificence  of  stage  setting 
and  brilliant,  dazzling,  even  extravagant  song 
effects,  caused  neglect  of  Academician  prin- 
ciples. The  learned  and  gifted  Neapolitan 
composer,  Alessandro  Scarlatti,  father  of  the 
famous  harpsichordist,  gave  an  impulse  in  his 
operas,  during  the  last  quarter  of  the  century, 
to  sensuous  charm  and  beauty  of  melody.  He 
invested  recitative  with  classic  value,  enlarged 
the  aria,  and  devised  the  da  capo  which  became 
a  menace  to  dramatic  truth. 

In  France,  the  troubadours  had  borne 
melody  into  the  domain  of  sentiment,  and  laid 
a  solid  foundation  for  musical  growth.  Adam 
de  la  Halle's  pastoral,  "Robin  et  Marion,"  w:i- 
an  actual  prototype  of  the  opera.  During  the 
seventeenth  century  Corneille  and  Moliere  re- 
fined the  dramatic  taste  of  their  compatriots. 
Attempts  to  introduce  Italian  opera  only  re- 
sulted in  arousing  a  desire  for  an  opera  in  ac- 
cord with  French  ideals. 

This  was  gratified  by  Jean  Battiste  Lully, 
who  had  come  to  the  French  court  from  Italy 
225 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

in  boyhood,  and  had  risen,  in  1672,  from  a 
subordinate  position  to  that  of  chief  musician. 
Undertaking  to  make  reforms,  he  succeeded  in 
giving  his  adopted  country  a  national  opera. 
He  established  the  overture,  gave  recitative 
rhetorical  force,  added  coloring  to  the  orches- 
tra, and  introduced  the  ballet.  New  life  was 
infused  into  the  traditions  he  left  when  Jean 
Philippe  Rameau,  in  1733,  at  fifty  years  of  age. 
wrote  his  first  opera.  He  was  well-known  as 
a  theorist  and  composer,  and  was  the  author 
of  a  harmony  treatise  in  which  were  set  forth 
the  laws  of  chord  inversions  and  derivations,  a 
stroke  of  genius  that  hopelessly  entangled  him 
in  perplexities.  His  instrumentation  was  more 
highly  colored,  his  rhythms  more  varied  than 
those  of  his  predecessor,  and  his  sincerity  of 
purpose  more  evident.  In  common  with  other 
reformers  he  was  accused  of  "sacrificing  the 
pleasures  of  the  ear  to  vain  harmonic  specula- 
tions." Some  of  his  many  operas  were  written 
to  works  of  Racine.  He  died  in  1764,  in  his 
eighty-first  year. 

A  century  earlier  the  English  reached  the 
226 


The  Opera.  OLi\d  Its  Reformers 

culmination  of  their  Golden  Age  of  musical 
productiveness  in  Henry  Purcell,  known  as  the 
most  original  genius  England  has  produced. 
His  dramatic  powers  were  fostered  by  the 
popular  masques  with  their  gorgeous  show  of 
color  and  rhythm,  and  in  mere  boyhood  he 
wrote  music  for  several  of  them.  In  1677, 
when  only  nineteen,  he  produced  his  first  opera. 
He  attempted  no  reform,  but  his  instinct  for 
the  true  relation  between  the  accents  of  speech 
and  those  of  melody  and  recitative  seems  to 
have  been  unerring.  Saturated  with  native 
English  melody,  tingling  with  fertile  fancy 
and  controlled  by  education,  whether  he  wrote 
for  stage,  church  or  chamber,  he  evinced  a 
freshness  and  vigor,  a  breezy  picturesqueness 
and  a  wealth  of  rhythmic  phrases  and  patterns 
and  many  new  orchestral  devices.  In  1710. 
fifteen  years  after  his  early  death,  the  giant 
Handel  began  to  dominate  musical  England, 
flooding  the  stage  with  operas  of  the  Italian 
type  and  finally  ushering  in  the  reign  of  the 
oratorio.  The  delicate  plant  of  English  opera 
never  took  root. 

227 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Italian  influence  had  almost  caused  the  de- 
cline of  French  opera  when  Christopher  Willi- 
bald  Gluck  turned  to  Paris,  in  1774,  as  its 
regenerator.  In  Vienna,  twelve  years  earlier, 
he  had  already  produced  his  "Orfeo,"  whose 
calm,  classic  grandeur  seemed  the  embodiment 
of  the  Greek  art  spirit.  His  choice  of  subjects 
indicates  the  enterprise  on  which  he  had  em- 
barked. He  sought  simplicity,  subjugation  of 
music  to  poetic  sentiment,  dramatic  sincerity 
and  organic  unity.  His  operatic  version  of 
Racine's  "Iphigenie  en  Aulide"  called  forth 
unbounded  enthusiasm  in  the  French  metropo- 
lis directly  after  his  arrival,  and  led  to  the  war- 
fare with  the  brilliant  Italian  Piccini,  which  was 
as  hot  as  any  Wagner  controversy. 

The  homage  of  all  time  is  due  this  man  of 
genius  for  the  splendid  courage  with  which  he 
attacked  shams.  He  claimed  it  to  be  the  di- 
vine right  of  the  dramatic  composer  to  have  his 
works  sung  precisely  as  he  had  written  them, 
and  protested  against  the  innovations  that  had 
been  permitted  to  suit  the  caprices  and  gratify 
the  vanity  of  singers.  It  was  his  idea  that 

228 


The  Opera  a.nd  Its  Reformers 

the  Sinfonia,  in  other  words  the  Overture  or 
Prelude,  should  indicate  the  subject  and  pre- 
pare the  spectators  for  the  characters  of  the 
pieces,  and  that  the  instrumental  coloring 
should  be  adapted  to  the  mood  of  the  situation, 
thus  anticipating  modern  procedure.  He  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  work  of  Cherubini. 
Auber,  Gounod,  Thomas,  Massenet,  Saint- 
Saens  and  others. 

In  Germany,  Italian  opera,  early  introduced, 
long  remained  fashionable.  Native  dramatic 
tastes,  once  fostered  by  minnesingers  and  stroll- 
ing players,  were  kept  alive  by  the  "singspiel," 
or  song-play,  composed  of  spoken  dialogue  and 
popular  song,  which  furnished  the  actual  be- 
ginnings of  German  national  music  drama. 
The  threshold  of  this  was  reached,  the  sanctu- 
ary of  its  treasures  unlocked,  by  Wolfgang 
Amadeus  Mozart,  who,  without  thought  of  be- 
ing a  reformer,  unconsciously  infused  German 
spirit  into  Italian  forms.  It  was  during  the 
last  five  years  of  his  brief  life,  from  1786  to 
1791,  that  he  produced  his  operatic  master- 
pieces, "The  Marriage  of  Figaro,"  "Don  Gio- 

229 


vanni,"  and  "The  Magic  Flute."  His  mar- 
velous musical  and  poetic  genius,  supported  by 
profound  scholarship,  led  him  into  hitherto  un- 
tried regions  of  expression,  and  to  him  it  was 
given  to  bring  humanity  on  the  stage,  splen- 
didly depicting  the  inner  being  of  each  character 
in  tones.  Wagner  said  of  him  that  he  had  in- 
stinctively found  dramatic  truth  and  had  cast 
brilliant  light  on  the  relations  of  musician  and 
poet. 

Ludwig  van  Beethoven,  the  great  tone-poet, 
guided  by  his  profound  comprehension  of  the 
deep  things  of  life  and  his  active  sympathies  to 
absolute  truthfulness  in  delineating  human  pas- 
sions, made  the  next  advance  in  his  one  opera, 
"Fidelio,"  written  in  1805.  Ranked,  though  it 
is,  rather  as  a  symphony  for  voice  and  orchestra 
than  as  the  musical  complement  of  a  dramatic 
poem,  there  is  nevertheless  infused  into  some  of 
its  chief  numbers  more  potent  dramatic  ex- 
pression than  is  found  in  any  previous  opera. 
Thoroughly  cosmopolitan  in  subject,  it  is  never- 
theless German  in  that  its  lofty  earnestness  of 
tone  offers  a  protest  against  all  shallowness 

230 


The  Opfcra.  ^nd  Its  Reformers 


and  sensationalism.  The  entire  story  of  the 
Qpera  is  told  in  tones  in  the  overture. 

The  next  German  to  write  overtures  with  a 
deliberate  purpose  to  foreshadow  what  followed 
was  Carl  Maria  von  Weber,  whose  greatest 
opera,  "Der  Freischiitz,"  appeared  in  1821. 
The  initial  force  ,of  the  German  romantic 
school,  he  founded  his  operas  on  romantic 
themes,  and  depicted  in  tones  the  things  of  the 
weird,  fantastic  and  elfish  world  that  kindled 
his  imagination.  He  has  been  called  the  con- 
necting link  between  Mozart  and  Wagner,  and 
in  many  of  his  theories  he  anticipated  the  latter. 
National  to  the  core,  he  embodied  in  his  music 
*:he  finest  qualities  of  the  folk-song,  and  noble 
tone-painter  that  he  was  he  excelled  his  prede- 
cessors in  his  employment  of  the  orchestra  as 
a  means  of  dramatic  characterization. 

Richard  Wagner  was  long  regarded  as  the 
great  iconoclast  whose  business  it  was  to  de- 
stroy all  that  had  gone  before  him  in  art,  but 
no  one  ever  more  profoundly  reverenced  Bach. 
Mozart,  Beethoven  and  Weber  than  he.  The 
public  was  persistently  informed  that  his  com- 
23  J 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

positions  were  beyond  ordinary  comprehension, 
and  yet  designed,  as  they  were,  to  picture  man's 
essential  life,  they  have  slowly  but  surely  found 
their  way  to  the  popular  heart.  It  was  the 
very  essence  of  his  musical  dramatic  creed  that 
to  have  blood  in  its  veins  and  sincerity  in  its 
soul  art  must  come  from  the  people  and  be  ad- 
dressed to  the  people.  He  chose  the  national 
myth  and  hero  tradition  as  the  basis  of  his 
music-drama  because  of  the  universality  of 
their  content  and  application,  and  because  he 
believed  they  reflected  the  German  world-view. 
Himself  he  regarded  as  the  Siegfried  whose 
mission  it  was  to  slay  the  dragon  of  sordid  ma- 
terialism and  awaken  the  slumbering  bride  of 
German  art. 

Bach  and  Chopin  had  anticipated  him  in 
some  of  his  most  startling  chord  progressions 
The  motives  of  Bach's  fugues  and  Beethoven's 
sonatas  and  symphonies,  and  the  so-called 
"leading  motives"  of  the  Frenchman,  Hector 
Berlioz,  had  preceded  his  "typical  motives." 
Moreover,  the  orchestration  of  Berlioz  had 
been  a  precursor  of  his  orchestral  tone-coloring. 

232 


The  Opera.  a.nd  Its  Reformers 

Nevertheless,  everything  he  touched  was  so 
characteristically  applied  by  him  as  to  pro- 
duce new  impressions,  and  to  emphasize  the 
idea  of  music  as  a  language.  So  peculiarly 
were  music  and  poetry  blended  in  the  delicate 
tissue  of  his  genius  that  one  seemed  inseparable 
from  the  other.  United,  he  believed  it  to  be 
their  mission  to  inculcate  high  moral  lessons 
of  patriotism  and  love. 

He  gave  the  death-blow  to  an  opera  whose 
sole  aim  is  to  tickle  the  e^r.  Many  an  exquisite 
melody  of  Rossini  and  other  Italian  composers 
will  long  continue  to  live,  but  their  productions 
as  wholes  have  mostly  ceased  to  be  satisfying  to 
those  of  us  who  have  Teutonic  blood  in  our 
veins.  The  Italian  opera  composer  who  holds 
the  highest  place  to-day  in  the  heart  of  the  seri- 
ous musician  is  that  grand  old  man  of  music, 
Giuseppe  Verdi,  whose  genius  enabled  him  to 
yield  four  times  to  the  spirit  of  the  age,  during 
his  long  career,  and  who  in  his  ripe  old  age  en- 
deavored to  give  Italy  what  Wagner  had  given 
the  German  nation. 

233 


Certain  Famous  Orettorios 

ABOUT  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
San  Filippo  Neri,  a  zealous  Florentine  priest, 
opened  the  chapel,  or  oratory,  of  his  church 
in  Rome,  for  popular  hours  with  his  congrega- 
tion. His  main  object  being  "to  allure  young 
people  to  pious  offices  and  to  detain  them 
from  worldly  pleasure,"  he  endeavored  to 
make  the  occasions  attractive  as  well  as  edify- 
ing, and  supplemented  religious  discourse 
and  spiritual  songs  with  dramatized  ver- 
sions of  Biblical  stories  provided  with  suitable 
music.  Associated  with  him  in  his  labors  for 
a  good  cause,  was  no  less  a  composer  than 
that  great  reformer  of  Catholic  church  music, 
Giovanni  Pierluigi  Sante  da  Palestrina,  whose 

235 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

harmonies  were  declared  by  a  music-loving 
Pope  to  be  those  of  the  celestial  Jerusalem. 
The  laudable  enterprise  proved  successful. 
People  flocked  from  all  quarters  to  enjoy  the 
gratuitous  entertainments,  and  a  form  of  sa- 
cred musical  art  resulted  that  derived  from 
them  its  name. 

Roswitha,  a  nun  of  the  Gandersheim  clois- 
ter, in  the  tenth  century,  made  the  earliest 
attempt  recorded  to  invest  church  plays  with 
artistic  worth.  Her  six  religious  dramas, 
written  in  Latin  for  the  use  and  edification 
of  her  sister  nuns,  were  published  in  a  French 
setting,  in  1845.  It  was  a  woman,  too,  Laura 
Guidiccioni,  a  brilliant  member  of  the  Florence 
group  of  aristocratic  truth-seekers  in  art,  who 
wrote  the  text  of  the  first  religious  musical 
dramatic  composition  to  which  the  name  or- 
atorio became  attached.  It  was  set  to  mu- 
sic of  a  declamatory  style  by  Emilio  del  Cav- 
alieri,  the  author's  collaborator  in  the  pas- 
toral plays  that  were  really  embryo  operas. 
The  title  of  the  piece,  "The  Representation 

236 


Certain  Famous  Oratorios 

of  the  Body  and  the  Soul,"  indicates  the  al- 
legorical nature  of  the  subject. 

Its  initial  performance  occurred  at  Rome, 
February,  1600,  in  the  oratory  of  San  Filip- 
po's  church,  Santa  Maria  della  Vallicella.  The 
composer  had  died  some  months  earlier,  but 
his  minute  stage  directions  were  accurately 
observed.  Behind  the  scenes  was  placed  an 
orchestra  comprising  a  double  lyre,  a  harp- 
sichord, a  large  guitar  and  two  flutes,  to  which 
was  added  a  violin  for  the  leading  part  in  the 
ritornels,  that  is,  instrumental  preludes  and 
interludes.  The  chorus  had  seats  assigned  on 
the  stage,  but  rose  to  sing,  employing  sntfablc 
movements  and  gestures.  Time,  Morality, 
Pleasure,  and  other  solo  characters  bore  in 
their  hands  musical  instruments  and  seemed 
to  play  as  they  acted  and  declaimed  their  parts, 
while  the  playing  actually  came  from  the  con- 
cealed instruments.  The  World,  the  Body  and 
Human  Life  illustrated  the  transitorincss  of 
earthly  affairs  by  flinging  away  the  gorgeous 
decorations  they  had  worn  when  they  appeared 
on  the  stage,  and  displaying  their  utter  pov- 
237 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

erty  and  wretchedness  in  the  face  of  death 
and  dissolution.  The  representation  ended 
with  a  ballet,  danced  "sedately  and  reverently" 
to  music  by  the  chorus. 

Some  idea  of  the  oratorio  in  its  infancy  may 
be  gained  from  this  description.  Except  that 
the  subject  had  a  religious  bearing,  it  differed 
little  from  the  opera.  With  Giacomo  Caris- 
simi,  director  of  music  at  San  Apollinare, 
Rome,  from  1628  until  his  death,  in  1674,  the 
paths  of  the  two  diverged.  He  laid  down  lines 
that  have  been  followed  in  the  oratorio  ever 
since.  Dancing  and  acting  were  excluded  by 
him,  and  the  role  of  narrator  introduced.  His 
broad,  simple  treatment  of  chords  enhanced 
the  purity  and  beauty  of  everything  he  wrote, 
and  in  his  hand  recitative  gained  character, 
grace  and  musical  expressiveness.  Only  a 
small  portion  of  his  epoch-making  work  has 
been  preserved,  but  quite  enough  to  make  clear 
his  title  "Father  of  Oratorio  and  Cantata." 

His  pupil,  Alessandro  Scarlatti,  founder  of 
the  Neapolitan  school  and  practically  the  mu- 
sical dictator  of  Naples,  from  1694  to  1725. 
238 


Certain  Famous  Oratorios 

was  an  incredibly  prolific  composer  in  almost 
every  known  species  of  musical  form.  His 
many  improvements  in  vocal  and  instrumental 
music  operated  greatly  to  the  advantage  of 
the  oratorio.  Possessing  feeling  for  orches- 
tration to  an  unusual  degree  for  his  time,  he 
grouped  musical  instruments  of  different  tim- 
bres with  marked  boldness  and  skill,  and  was 
the  first  specially  to  orchestrate  recitative.  His 
genius  and  knowledge  enabled  him  to  restore 
counterpoint  to  its  rightful  place,  and  his  or- 
atorios show  great  gain  in  elasticity  and  form. 
Another  Alessandro,  he  who  bore  the  sur- 
name Stradella  and  was  the  hero  of  Flotow's 
opera  of  that  name,  has  figured  so  freely  in 
romance  that  it  is  not  easy  to  separate  truth 
from  fiction  in  accounts  of  his  life.  Dr.  Par- 
ry says  of  him  that  he  had  a  remarkable  in- 
stinct for  choral  effects,  even  piling  progres- 
sions into  a  climax,  that  his  solo  music  aims 
at  definiteness  of  structure,  that,  in  1676,  he 
used  a  double  orchestra  whose  principal  in- 
struments were  violins,  and  that  his  oratorios 
were  specially  significant,  as  he  cultivated  all 

239 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

the  resources  of  that  form  of  art.  His  most 
celebrated  composition  is  an  oratorio,  "San 
Giovanni  Battista,"  and  one  of  the  airs  attached 
to  it  "Pieta  Signore,"  a  beautiful,  symmetrical, 
heart-searching  melody,  is  sung  to-day,  al- 
though it  is  by  no  means  as  well  known  as  it 
deserves. 

According  to  tradition,  its  tender,  worship- 
ful strains  sung  in  the  church  of  the  Holy 
Apostles,  at  Rome,  by  the  composer  himself, 
once  stayed  the  hand  of  an  assassin  whom 
jealousy  had  prompted  to  slay  the  "Apollo 
della  Musica."  So  Alessandro  Stradella  was 
called,  because  of  his  great  gifts  as  singer 
and  composer,  and  his  manly  beauty.  A  ju- 
bilant multitude  surrounded  him  in  life,  and 
loud  lamentation  arose,  when,  at  length,  he 
fell  a  victim  to  envy  and  malice.  Thus  the 
graceful  legend  runs.  Recent  writers  are  try- 
ing to  make  us  believe  that  the  famous  "Pieta 
Signore"  was  a  later  interpolation  in  "San 
Giovanni  Battista,"  and  that  it  may  be  attrib- 
uted to  this  or  that  composer,  a  century  or 
more  after  the  death  of  Stradella,  in  1681.  Un- 

240 


Certain  Famous  Oratorios 

less  absolute  proof  be  afforded  us,  let  us  for- 
bear from  plucking  this  gem  from  his  crown. 

Composer  of  fifty  operas  and  many  other 
works,  magnificent  organist  and  harpsichord- 
ist, with  musical  genius  of  a  Titanic  order, 
intellect  that  was  swift,  sure  and  keen,  an 
indomitable  will,  a  lofty  philosophy,  and 
a  lordly  personality,  George  Friedrich 
Handel,  seemingly  defeated  by  outrage- 
ous fortune,  wheeled  about  like  some  in- 
vincible general  whose  business  it  was  to  win 
the  battle  and  entering  the  field  of  the  oratorio 
gained  a  colossal  victory.  He  had  for  some 
time  passed  the  half  century  milestone  of  his 
life  when  he  scored  his  greatest  achievements 
in  this  line,  and  with  magic  touch  transformed 
existing  materials  into  the  art-form  we  know 
to-day.  His  "Messiah,"  which  alone  would 
have  sufficed  to  immortalize  him,  was  pro- 
duced, in  one  of  his  herculean  bursts  of  power, 
within  twenty-three  days,  when  he  was  well- 
advanced  in  his  fifty-seventh  year.  It  was  first 
given  to  the  public,  in  Dublin,  April  13,  1742, 
seven  months  after  its  completion.  The  en- 
24  J 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

thusiasm  it  awakened  was  repeated  when  it 
was  performed  later  in  London.  Here,  in- 
deed, the  audience  became  so  transported  that 
at  the  opening  of  the  Hallelujah  chorus  every 
one  present,  led  by  the  king,  rose  and  remained 
standing,  a  custom  we  follow  to-day. 

Herder  calls  the  "Messiah"  a  Christian  epo- 
pee, in  musical  sounds.  It  is  certainly  writ- 
ten in  the  large,  grand  style  of  a  noble  epic, 
for  it  had  large  matters  to  express,  and  its 
composer  regarded  music  as  a  means  of  ad- 
dressing heart  and  soul.  The  theme  is  treated 
with  reverence,  delicacy  and  judgment,  and 
the  leading  tone  is  that  of  a  mighty  hymn  of 
rejoicing.  Following  an  overture  that  is  in 
itself  a  revelation,  the  opening  tenor  recita- 
tive, "Comfort  Ye,  My  People,"  has  a  convinc- 
ing ring  that  all  is  and  will  be  well,  mingled 
with  infinite  tenderness,  and  the  succeeding 
aria,  "Every  Valley,"  is  pervaded  with  the 
freshness  of  earth  newly  arisen  amid 
great  glory.  The  heart-rending  desola- 
tion of  selections  like  the  contralto  air, 
"He  was  Despised,"  only  serves  to  ac- 

242 


Certain  Famous  Oratorios 

centuate  the  triumph  of  other  portions. 
Throughout  there  is  a  warmth,  a  con- 
trapuntal splendor,  a  breadth,  an  elasticity, 
a  richness  of  orchestration,  unknown  in  pre- 
vious oratorio,  unless  in  parts  of  some  of  the 
master's  own  works.  Even  in  the  duet  and 
choruses  remodeled  from  his  chamber  duets, 
there  is  that  jubilant  character  that  makes 
them  blend  perfectly  with  the  great  whole. 

Born  and  educated  on  German  soil,  steeped 
during  his  wanderer's  years  in  the  spirit  of  the 
Italian  muse,  and  finally  nourished  on  the  ca- 
thedral music  of  England,  Handel  became  thor- 
oughly cosmopolitan,  appropriating  what  he 
chose  from  the  influences  that  surrounded 
him.  The  English  regard  him  as  one  of  their 
national  glories,  call  him  the  "Saxon  Goliath," 
the  "Michael  Angelo  of  music,"  a  "Bold  Bri- 
areus  with  a  hundred  hands,"  and  have  carved 
his  form  in  enduring  marble  above  his  tomb 
in  Westminster  Abbey.  Nothing  they  have 
said  can  equal  the  tribute  paid  him  by  the 
dying  giant  Beethoven,  who  pointing  to  Han- 
del's works  exclaimed :  "There  is  the  truth." 
243 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Another  lofty,  yet  wholly  different  person- 
ality, born  also  in  1685,  is  found  in  Johann 
Sebastian  Bach,  whose  Passion  Oratorios,  a 
direct  outgrowth  of  the  Passion  plays  of  old, 
furnish  materials  and  inspiration  for  all  time. 
Handel  worked  in  and  for  the  public  and 
fought  his  battles  in  the  great  world.  Bach 
was  the  lonely  scholar  who  lived  apart  from 
outside  turmoil  and  unabashed  in  the  pres- 
ence of  earthly  monarchs,  reigned  supreme  in 
the  tone-world.  A  typical  Teuton,  his  music, 
intensely  earnest,  highly  intellectual,  contains 
the  essence  of  Teutonism,  and  gives  full,  rich, 
copious  expression  to  the  inmost  being  of  hu- 
manity. The  spirit  of  Protestant  Germany 
is  embodied  in  his  religious  tone  productions 
which  have  proved  to  Protestantism  a  tower  of 
strength.  His  service  in  developing  the  choral 
alone  is  inestimable.  Nothing  that  he  has 
written,  better  represents  the  majesty  and  sub' 
limity  of  his  style  than  his  "Saint  Matthew 
Passion"  with  its  surpassing  utterances  of 
human  sorrow  and  infinite  tenderness. 

In  the  year  1790,  when  Joseph  Haydn  had 
244 


Certain  Famous  Oratorios 

accepted  an  invitation  to  make  a  professional 
visit  to  London,  his  young  friend,  Mozart,  en 
deavored  to  dissuade  him  from  going  on  ac- 
count of  his  age,  but  Haydn  persisted,  de- 
claring that  he  was  still  active  and  strong. 
Eight  years  later,  at  sixty-six  years  of  age,  he 
wrote  his  celebrated  oratorio  "The  Creation/' 
with  all  the  vigor  and  sparkle  of  youth.  The 
rambles  of  years  in  the  beautiful  grounds  of 
Esterhazy  had  attuned  his  soul  to  communion 
with  nature,  and  this  work  plainly  shows  his 
power  of  putting  into  tones  the  secrets  na- 
ture revealed  to  him.  Blissful  joyousness  and 
child-like  naivete  are  among  its  characteris- 
tic features. 

The  style  of  Beethoven  as  a  composer  of 
sacred  music  is  reflected  in  his  single  oratorio 
"Christ  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,"  that  like 
his  single  opera  stands  apart,  amply  sufficient 
to  prove  what  he  was  capable  of  accomplish- 
ing. Mendelssohn,  in  his  "St.  Paul"  and  his 
"Elijah,"  embodied  a  high  ideal,  building  on 
his  predecessors  and  attaining,  especially  in 
the  latter,  an  eclectic  spirit  that  manifests  keen 
245 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

discrimination.  The  oratorios  of  Liszt,  the 
"Christus,"  "St.  Elizabeth"  and  some  lesser 
works,  reveal  high  purpose  and  original  treat- 
ment of  a  revelation  in  tones  of  sacred  events. 
In  the  oratorios  of  the  Frenchman  Gounod,  pre- 
eminently in  his  "Redemption,"  it  is  interest- 
ing to  find  modern  chorals  based  on  those  of 
the  German  Bach,  and,  in  fact,  as  it  has  been 
aptly  said,  a  modernized  treatment  of  Bach's 
passion  form. 

What  may  be  the  next  step  in  the  evolution 
of  the  oratorio  it  were  difficult  to  estimate. 
Whether  modern  efforts  can  ever  surpass,  or 
even  equal,  the  sublime  productions  in  this 
field,  or  whether  creative  genius  will  be  turned 
into  wholly  new  channels,  the  future  alone 
may  determine. 


246 


S.MXT-SAKXS 


XII 

Symphony  and  Symphonic 
Poem 

THAT  adventurous  spirit,  Claudio  Monte- 
verde,  who  nearly  three  hundred  years  ago 
made  himself  responsible  for  the  first  feeble 
utterances  of  an  orchestra  that  tried  to  say 
something  for  itself,  divined  the  possibilities 
of  expression  in  varying  combinations  of  tone- 
quality  and  gave  vigorous  impulse  to  the  germ 
of  the  symphony  already  existing  in  the  form- 
less instrumental  preludes  and  interludes  of  his 
predecessors  among  opera-makers.  His  rev- 
elation of  the  charm  that  lies  in  exploring  the, 
resources  of  instrumentation  led  to  ever  in- 
creasing demands  on  the  orchestra.  The  pre- 
247 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

lude  developed  into  the  operatic  overture  whose 
business  it  became  to  prepare  the  spectator  for 
what  followed.  That  music  was  capable  of 
conveying  an  impression  in  her  own  tone- 
language  was  apparent,  and  in  due  time  the 
symphony  rose  majestic  from  the  forge  of 
genius. 

Prominent  among  the  materials  welded  into 
it  was  the  dance  of  obscure  origin.  As  the 
vocal  aria  was  the  result  of  the  simple  folk- 
song combined  with  the  intense  craving  of 
song's  master  molders  for  individual  expres- 
sion, so  instrumental  music  striving  to  walk 
alone,  without  support  from  words,  gained 
vital  elements  through  the  discovery  that  vari- 
ous phases  of  mental  disposition  might  be  indi- 
cated by  alternating  dance  tunes  differing  in 
rhythm  and  movement,  according  to  Nature's 
own  law  of  contrasts.  That  unity  of  purpose 
was  essential  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  diver- 
sity was  instinctively  discerned. 

The  touch  of  authority  was  given  to  this 
kind  of  music,  during  the  last  two  decades  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  by  Arcangelo  Corelli 

248 


Symphony  sxnd  Symphonic  Poem 

when  he  presented  in  the  camera,  or  private 
apartment,  of  Cardinal  Ottoboni's  palace,  in 
Rome,  his  idealized  dance  groups,  thoroughly 
united  by  harmony  of  mood,  yet  affording  a 
wholly  new  tone-picture  of  this  mood  in  each 
of  several  movements.  These  compositions 
were  usually  written  for  the  harpsichord  and 
perhaps  three  instruments  of  the  viol  order, 
the  master  himself  playing  the  leadirj  melrxh 
on  the  violin.  He  called  them  sonatas  from 
sonare,  to  sound,  a  name  originally  applied  to 
any  piece  that  was  sounded  by  instruments, 
not  sung  by  the  human  voice.  They  prefig- 
ured the  solo  sonata,  the  entire  class  of  cham- 
ber music  named  from  the  place  where  they 
were  performed,  and  the  symphony  which  is  a 
sonata  for  the  orchestra.  Absolute  music  was 
set  once  for  all  on  the  right  path  by  them. 
They  ushered  in  a  new  era  of  Art. 

Purcell,  in  England,  Domenico  Scarlatti 
and  Sammartini,  in  Italy,  the  Bachs.  in  Ger- 
many, and  others  continued  to  fashion  the 
sonata  form.  It  ceased  to  be  a  mere  grouping 
of  dances,  the  name  suite  1>a'v;r  applied  to  that, 
249 


For  Even'  Music  Lover 

and  struck  out  into  independent  excursions  in 
the  domain  of  fancy.  The  prevailing  melody 
of  its  monophonic  style  proved  suitable  to  fur- 
nish a  subject  for  the  most  animated  discus- 
sion. Three  contrasting  movements  were 
adopted,  comprising  a  summons  to  attention, 
an  appeal  to  both  intellect  and  emotions,  and  a 
lively  reaction  after  excitement. 

A  German  critic  has  jocosely  remarked  that 
the  early  writers  meant  the  sonata  to  show 
first  what  they  could  do,  second  what  they  could 
feel,  and  third  how  glad  they  were  to  have  fin- 
ished. Time  vastly  increased  its  importance. 
Two  subjects,  a  melody  in  the  tonic,  another 
usually  in  the  dominant,  came  to  set  forth  the 
exposition  of  the  opening  movement,  leading  to 
a  free  development,  with  various  episodes,  and 
an  assured  return  to  the  original  statement. 
The  prevailing  character  being  thus  defined,  the 
story  readily  unfolds,  aided  by  related  keys,  in 
a  slow  movement  and  perhaps  a  minuet  or 
scherzo,  and  gains  its  denouement  in  a  stirring 
finale,  written  in  the  original  key.  Each  move- 
ment has  its  own  subjects,  its  individual  devel- 
250 


Symphony  e^nd  Symphonic  Poem 

opment,  with  harmony  of  plan  and  idea  for  a 
bond  of  union. 

The  name  symphony,  from  sinfonia,  a  con- 
sonance of  sounds,  applied  originally  to  any 
selection  played  by  a  full  band  and  later  to  in- 
strumental overtures,    was  given    by  Joseph 
Haydn  to  the  orchestral  sonata  form  inaugu- 
rated by  him.     His  thirty  years  cf  musical  ser- 
vice to  the  house  of  Esterhazy,  with  an  or- 
chestra increasing  from  16  to  24  pieces  to  ex- 
periment on,  as  the  solo  virtuoso  experiments 
on  piano  or  violin,  brought  him  wholly  under 
the  spell  of  the  instruments.     Their  individual 
characteristics   afforded   him  continually   new 
suggestions  in  regard  to  tone-coloring,  and  he 
rose  often  to  audacity,  for  his  time,  in  his  har- 
monic devices.     Grace  and  spirit,  originality  of 
invention,  joyous  abandon,  a  fancy  controlled 
by  a  studious  mind,  a  profusion  of  quaint  hu- 
mor and  a  proper  division  of  light  and  shade 
combine  to  give  the  dominant  note  to  his  music. 
His  symphonies  recall  the  fairy  tale,  with  its 
sparkling  "once  upon  a  time,"  and  yet  like  it 
are  not  without  their  mysterious  shadows.     In 
25J 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

everything  he  has  written  is  felt  that  faculty  of 
smiling  amid  grief  and  disappointment  and 
pain  that  made  Haydn,  the  Father  of  the  Sym- 
phony, exclaim  in  his  old  age,  "Life  is  a  charm- 
ing affair." 

With  Mozart,  whose  life-work  began  after, 
but  ended  before  that  of  Haydn,  influencing 
and  being  influenced  by  the  latter,  the  sym- 
phony broadened  in  scope  and  grew  richer  in 
warmth  of  melodious  expression,  definiteness 
of  plan  and  completeness  of  form.  His  pro- 
foundly poetic  musical  nature,  with  its  high 
capacity  for  joy  and  sorrow  and  infinite  long- 
ing, was  reflected  in  all  that  he  wrote.  By 
means  of  a  generous  employment  of  free  coun- 
terpoint, in  other  words  a  kind  of  polyphony 
in  which  the  various  voices  use  different  melo- 
dies in  harmonious  combination,  he  gained  a 
potent  auxiliary  in  his  cunning  workmanship, 
and  emphasized  the  folly  of  rejecting  the  con- 
trapuntal experiences,  of.  for  instance,  a  Sebas- 
tian Bach.  Musical  instruments,  as  well  as 
musical  materials,  were  his  servants  in  devel- 
oping the  glowing  fancies  of  his  marvelously 

252 


Symphony  a.nd  Symphonic  Poem 

constructive  brain.  The  crowning  glory  of  his 
graceful  perfection  of  outline  and  detail  is  the 
noble  spirit  of  serenity  which  illumines  all  its 
beauty. 

Beethoven  further  advanced  the  technique 
of  the  symphony,  and  proved  its  power  tc 
"strike  fire  from  the  soul  of  man."  Varyinp 
his  themes  while  repeating  them,  adding  spice 
to  his  episodes  and  working  out  his  entire 
scheme  with  consummate  skill,  he  was  able  t-> 
construct  from  a  motive  of  a  few  notes  a 
mighty  epic  tone-poem.  He  translated  into  su- 
perb orchestral  pages  the  dreams  of  the  huinar 
heart,  the  soul's  longing  for  liberty  and  all  the 
holiest  aspirations  of  the  inner  being.  He  <lis 
cussed  in  tones  problems  of  man's  life  and 
destiny,  ever  displaying  sublime  faith  that 
Fate,  however  cruel,  is  powerless  to  crush  the 
spiritual  being,  the  real  individuality.  His  con- 
flicts never  fail  to  end  in  triumph.  Well  ma> 
it  be  said  that  the  ultimate  purpose  of  a  sym 
phony  of  Beethoven  is  to  tell  of  those  tlr 
from  the  deepest  depths  of  which  events  are 
mere  shadows,  and  that  as  high  feeling  dc- 
253 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

mands  lofty  utterance  his  tonal  forms  are  in- 
evitably worthy  of  their  contents. 

Twenty-six  years  younger  than  Beethoven 
Schubert  lived  but  a  year  after  he  had  passed 
away  and  died  in  1828,  two  years  later  than 
Weber,  and  felt  the  glow  of  the  spirit  of  ro- 
manticism. From  the  perennial  fount  of  song 
within  his  breast  there  streamed  fresh  melo- 
dious strains  through  his  symphonies,  the 
ninth  and  last  of  which,  the  C  major,  ranks  him 
with  the  great  symphonists.  Intense  poetic  sen- 
timent, dreamy  yet  strong  musical  individual- 
ity, romantic  fulness  of  plan  to  embody  in 
tones  the  passionate  emotions  of  a  storm  and 
stress  period,  and  much  originality  of  orches- 
tral treatment  characterize  the  symphonies  of 
Schumann.  He  rises  to  towering  heights  in 
some  passages,  but  in  his  daring  explorations 
through  the  tone-world  he  is  often  betrayed 
into  a  vagueness  of  form,  largely  traceable  per- 
haps to  lack  of  early  technical  discipline,  as 
well  as  to  lack  of  mental  clarity.  Ultra  roman- 
ticism was  foreign  to  the  nature  and  repulsive 
to  the  tastes  of  the  refined,  elegant  Mendels- 

254 


Symphony  a.nd  Symphonic  Poem 

sohn,  yet  in  spite  of  himself  its  influence  crept 
gently  into  his  polished  works.  As  a  symphon- 
ist  he  displayed  fertility  in  picturesque  sonori- 
ties, facility  in  tracing  the  outlines  and  fill- 
ing in  the  details  of  form,  keen  sense  of 
balance  of  orchestral  tone,  thorough  scien- 
tific knowledge  of  his  materials,  and,  as  some 
one  has  said,  became  all  but  a  master  in  the 
highest  sense.  His  overtures  are  unquestion- 
ably romantic,  and  as  their  histrionic  and 
scenic  titles  indicate,  partake  of  the  nature  of 
programme  music. 

This  brings  us  to  Hector  Berlioz,  the  fa- 
mous French  symphonist,  the  exponent  par  ex- 
cellence of  programme  music,  that  is,  music 
intended  to  illustrate  a  special  story.  He  lived 
from  1803  to  1869,  and  because  of  his  audacity 
in  using  new  and  startling  tonal  effects  was 
called  the  most  flagrant  musical  heretic  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  He  was  the  first  to  im- 
press on  the  world  the  idea  of  music  as  a 
definite  language.  His  recurrent  thcim-<. 
called  "fixed  ideas,"  prefigured  Wapn 
"leading  motives."  His  .-kill  in  combining 

255 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

instruments  added  new  lustre  to  orchestra- 
tion. The  personal  style  he  created  for  himself 
was  the  result  of  his  studies  of  older  master- 
pieces, above  all  those  of  Gluck  which  he  knew 
by  heart,  and  of  his  philosophic  researches. 
His  four  famous  symphonic  works  are: 
"Fantastic  Symphony,"  "Grand  Funeral  and 
Triumphal  Symphony,"  "Harold  in  Italy"  and 
"Romeo  and  Juliet."  In  a  preface  to  the  first 
he  thus  explains  his  ideas:  "The  plan  of  a 
musical  drama  without  words,  requires  to  be 
explained  beforehand.  The  programme 
(which  is  indispensable  to  the  perfect  compre- 
hension of  the  work)  ought  therefore  to  be 
considered  in  the  light  of  the  spoken  text  of  an 
opera,  serving  to  lead  up  to  the  piece  of  music, 
and  indicate  the  character  and  expression." 

From  programme  music  came  the  symphonic 
poem  of  which  Franz  Liszt  was  the  creator. 
Although  he  found  this  culmination  of  the  ro- 
mantic ideal  in  the  field  of  instrumental  music 
in  his  maturer  years,  he  displayed  in  it  the  full 
power  of  his  genius.  His  great  works  in  this 
line  are  a  "Faust  Symphony,"  "Les  Preludes,'* 

256 


Symphony  a.nd  Symphonic  Poem 

"Orpheus,"  "Prometheus,"  "Mazeppa"  and 
"Hamlet."  Symphonic  in  form,  although  lev. 
restricted  than  the  symphony,  these  works  arc 
designed  to  give  tone-pictures  of  the  suit 
designated,  or  at  least  of  the  moods  they 
awaken.  "Mazeppa,"  for  instance,  is  described 
as  depicting  in  a  wild  movement,  rising  to 
frenzy,  the  death  ride  of  the  hero,  a  brief  an- 
dante proclaims  his  collapse,  the  following 
march,  introduced  by  trumpet  fanfares  and  in- 
creasing to  the  noblest  triumph,  his  elevation 
and  coronation. 

Camille  Saint-Saens,  without  doubt  the  n: 
original  and  intellectual  modern  French  com- 
poser, who  at  sixty-seven  years  of  age  is  still 
in  the  midst  of  his  activity,  and  who  has  made 
his  own  the  spirit  of  the  classic  composers, 
owes  to  the  symphonic  poem  a  great  part  of  his 
reputation,  and  has  also  written  symphonies  of 
great  value.  His  orchestration  is  distin- 
guished by  its  clarity,  power  and  exquisite 
coloring.  The  orchestral  music  of  Tschaikow- 
sky,  who  died  in  1893,  symphonies  and  sym- 
phonic poems,  are  saturated  with  the  glowing 
257 


For  Every  Music  Lover 

Russian  spirit,  are  intensely  dramatic,  some- 
times rising  to  tempestuous  bursts  of  passion 
that  are  only  held  in  check  by  the  composer's 
scholarly  control  of  his  materials.  A  strong 
national  flavor  is  also  felt  in  the  work  of  Chris- 
tian Sinding,  the  Norwegian,  whose  D  minor 
symphony  has  been  styled  "a  piece  born  of  the 
gloomy  romanticism  of  the  North."  Edward 
Grieg,  known  as  the  incarnation  of  the  strong, 
vigorous,  breezy  spirit  of  the  land  of  the  mid- 
night sun,  has  put  some  of  his  most  character- 
istic work  into  symphonic  poems  and  orchestral 
suites.  The  first  composer  to  convey  a  mes- 
sage from  the  North  in  tones  to  the  European 
world  was  Gade,  the  Dane,  known  as  the  Sym- 
phony Master  of  the  North,  who  was  born  in 
1817  and  died  in  1890. 

It  is  impossible  to  mention  in  a  brief  essay 
all  the  great  workers  in  symphonic  forms. 
One  Titanic  spirit,  Johannes  Brahms,  (1833- 
1897)  wno  succeeded  in  striking  the  dominant 
note  of  musical  sublimity  amid  modern  unrest, 
is  reserved  for  our  final  consideration.  Of 
him  Schumann  said,  "This  John  is  a  prophet 

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Symphony  a^nd  Symphonic  Poem 

who  will  also  write  revelations,"  and  he  has 
revealed  to  those  who  can  read  that  high  art 
is  the  abiding-place  of  reason,  that  it  is  more- 
over compounded  of  profundity  of  feeling 
yoked  with  profundity  of  intellectual  mastery. 
Dr.  Riemann  writes  of  him.  "l-'nun  Bach  he  in- 
herited the  depth,  from  Haydn,  the  humor, 
from  Mozart,  the  charm,  from  Beethoven,  the 
strength,  from  Schubert,  the  intimatencss  of 
his  art.  Truly  a  wonderfully  gifted  nature 
that  was  able  to  absorb  such  a  fulness  of  great 
gifts  and  still  not  lose  the  best  of  gifts — the 
strong  individuality  which  makes  the  master." 
Wonderful  is  the  power  of  instrumental 
music,  absolute  music  without  words,  that  may 
convey  impressions,  deep  and  lasting,  no  words 
could  give.  All  hail  to  the  memory  of  Jo- 
hannes Brahms,  who  has  reminded  us  of  it^ 
true  mission  and  delivered  a  message  that  will 
ring  through  the  twentieth  century. 


259 


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